By Joanna Ramirez
Dragon Echo Staff
Many students may not know there are rabbits at NHS.
Anyone interested in raising a rabbit must take Small Animal Management, a class taught by Mr.Jerrett Cobb.
Callie Dorsett takes Small Animal Management and enjoys this class because it is hands-on, and she said there is never a boring day. Kaylee Clayton said she enjoys working with the rabbits, and she said the class also works with dogs. Ashley Chavez enjoys studying the animals and doing hands-on activities rather than just sitting in class.
In the mornings every student raising rabbits feeds them, gives them water, cleans their cages, brushes their hair, and practices “setting them up.” Setting them up means preparing them for show. In the afternoons the students feed them, give them water, brush their hair, and practice setting them up, again.
Kaylee said, “The county fair judges look at the rabbits to see their gender and feel their bones.” Callie added, “For market rabbits they look at their muscle shape to see if they are all the same size.”
These young ladies all placed at the county fair. Callie’s rabbit was shown by a little girl and won in the category for the bucks.
Ms. April Grady, the counselor in the Go Center, said her children, Scarlet and Gabe, are raising rabbits with the help of Mr. Cobb. The rabbits stay at school, and her children come two or three days a week after school to take care of them.
“They look forward to it,” Ms. Grady said. “They’re excited about brushing them and setting them up. It is a lot of responsibility. It’s not just fun, but also hard work. They are getting exposure to showing animals at the fair. It builds their confidence. They are proud of the rabbits and themselves.”
In addition to having a little girl show her rabbit at the fair, Callie also showed a pig that got 5th place, a lamb that got 3rd place, and her floral group got the red ribbon.
Kaylee showed three Californian Rabbits and all got 3rd place. Ashley and Ariel competed in Floral Design as a group together and got the blue ribbon. They will go to the Houston Rodeo Show in March to show their rabbits and try to place.
The type of rabbit Callie has is a Silver, and she named it Muffin. Kaylee has Californians, but hasn’t named them yet. Ashley has a Mini Rex and she named it Russel. Ariel Patrick also has a Mini Rex and named it Lily.
These students are all in FFA and want more students to come out to their meetings! They play games, have fun, and there is also food.
If interested go to Mr.Cobb’s classroom in Room 409.
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