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Cabbage patch kid wins top prize
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Neighbors | Submitted.Skyler Huda, a fourth-grader at Dobbins Elementary grew a nearly 40 pound cabbage during her participation in the Bonnie Plants Cabbage Growing Program. Huda won a random drawing by the Ohio Department of Agriculture to win the Bonnie Plants contest, and earned a $1,000 bond to put toward her college education.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Officials from Bonnie Plants visited Dobbins on March 8 to tell Dobbins students about the importance of agriculture and give Skyler Huda her $1,000 prize. Parents Kelly (left) and Neil Huda joined Brian Blevins, Skyler, and Ben Santee during the check giveaway.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Officals from Bonnie Plants, as well as family, friends, and Dobbins principal Cheryl Borovitcky joined Skyler Huda (center) on March 8 to congratulate her on winning the Ohio Bonnie Plants Cabbage contest.
By SARAH FOOR
Last April, Dobbins student Skyler Huda was handed a cabbage sprout as part of the national Bonnie Plants Cabbage Growing Program. She cared for the sprout and planted it in her backyard, and over the next 12 weeks, the sprout turned into a 40-pound plant.
Huda’s impressive cabbage earned her top prize in the gardening program throughout Ohio, in a random drawing by Ohio’s Agriculture Commissioner. Dobbins celebrated Huda’s cabbage-patch success in a school-wide assembly on March 5.
Eric Barrett, of the Ohio State Extension Agricultural program, began the event by speaking to the students about the importance of vegetables. Barrett showed familiar vegetables and had the students guess what kind of plant they grow on. He urged students to try and grow their own vegetables, telling them that it is important to plant a seedling well, water, weed and fertilize the plant, watch out for pests, and always check a plant’s progress.
Although he couldn’t attend, Tony Forshey of the Ohio Department of Agriculture shared a pre-taped message of congratulations to Huda.
Officials from the Alliance, Ohio, Bonnie Plants location gave Huda her prize of a $1,000 savings bond to use for her future college education and a certificate of recognition to the school.
Huda’s family attended the event and shared pride for their master cultivator. “After we planted the cabbage, we were surprised at how fast it really grew.
We had many family members help us throughout the project, but Skyler worked so hard and the cabbage really was her thing,” said her dad, Neil.
The family used half of their plant to make a dinner of stuffed cabbage and donated the rest.
The Bonnie Plants growing program will start again in the spring for Dobbins third-grade classrooms.
“We’re immensely proud of Skyler’s achievement, as well as excited that this honor will continue to bolster interest in agriculture and gardening at Dobbins,” said principal Cheryl Borovitcky.