Submitted by: Alison Brehm, 4th Grade Teacher
Each year, 3rd grade students across the country participate in the ‘Bonnie 3rd Grade Cabbage Program.’ Bonnie is a leading producer of vegetable and herb plants for the garden. The program began in 2002 to inspire a love of vegetable gardening. Each year, Bonnie Plants distributes more than one million free cabbage plants to 3rd Grade classrooms across the country. As part of the program, Bonnie Plants awards a $1,000 scholarship to one student in each state.
This year, MaLО Slater, a current 4th grader from Battle Hill Elementary School in Union, NJ, took home the coveted prize for the 36 pound cabbage she nurtured at home over the summer of 2015. MaLО’s appreciation for gardening is partially due to her third grade teacher Patricia Bogda. Ms. Bogda along with third grade teachers Cara LeBlond and Katie Ballard often brought their classes outside to tend to the Battle Hill Garden of Knowledge. This garden was granted to Battle Hill School in the 2013-2014 school year by the Union Township Educational Foundation. MaLО, along with her classmates, learned the importance of caring for the garden. MaLО also gained her green thumb from her mother and grandparents. They actively watched the plant together to ensure that it received the love necessary to grow such a large plant.
Bonnie Plants has delivered over 11 million cabbage plants nationwide since 2002, fostering an interest in gardening, healthy eating, and the environment along the way.
(above) MaLé, her mother, grandmother, grandfather, nephew and Joe Atchison.
(above) MaLé Slater with 36 pound cabbage.
