One North Texas boy, Ennis Rakestraw, Jr., was among them, penning his dream in a letter to his then-fourth-grade teacher. “Dear Mr. Gammon, you are the best teacher ever," reads Derek Gammon.

Way to go, Sophia! The 4th-grader's 7.5 pound cabbage, which she grew after she was given a seedling at school last year, won her statewide recognition and a $1,000 scholarship.

Last year, the fourth-grade passage was 500 words about salamanders, Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer. Fourth graders were then asked to write about the importance of the aquifer.