Boy hoping green thumb lands TV gig

NAPERVILLE--When Jack Hennessy turned over his first few shovelfuls of dirt in the backyard of his downtown Naperville home, he never imagined it might lead him to the national spotlight.

The 10-year-old, a fifth-grader at SS Peter and Paul Parish School, won't be in his classroom Monday. His school friends will see him, though--on TV.

As one of 16 contestants who have made it to the semifinals in "The Today Show's" Kid Reporter Contest, Jack will be flown with his mom to be interviewed live in New York City, and his video entry--a look at his first foray into suburban agriculture, titled "Kids in America: Planting their own gardens and going green"--will be among the four submissions going before a nationwide audience for judging that day. Three other quartets of semifinalists are appearing on other mornings between now and Jack's big moment.

After the finals are held next Thursday, the top finisher will be invited back the following week for a guest co-hosting gig with morning regulars Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer.

Having never before visited the Big Apple, Jack is pretty excited.

"I've never flown that far in a plane before," he said.

Jack's teacher, Jean Lindsey, plans to have her other 34 students tuned into the broadcast. There's already been a bit of talk about it.

"We're so excited," she said, describing her almost-famous student as enthusiastic and full of initiative. "He kind of bubbles. He's very curious about life, and very interested in what we're doing."

Wendy Hennessy, the budding reporter's mom, said when they heard on the morning news show that the competition was coming up, they knew right away it would be a good thing for him to try.

"He's very outgoing, has a very nice speaking voice, so we thought, 'Jack would be good at this!'" she said.

The contestants were invited to choose their topics, and for Jack, it was a slam-dunk.

The vegetable garden that took root after he asked for the necessary supplies for his mid-June birthday would give him plenty to talk about. For one thing, he'll be able to show that from tiny gardens, mighty sunflowers grow.

"We didn't have a lot of space, but we got a few plants in there," he said.

The most impressive-looking among them were the three enormous sunflowers that towered over the plot.

"They were taller than my dad," Jack said.

Before another Jack-- Frost, that is--came visiting, the plot yielded zucchini, tomatoes, pumpkins, green peppers--and those gargantuan flowers. It also planted the seeds of culinary curiosity in the gardener, who'd never been much of a vegetable guy before--and perhaps illustrated that there can be too much of a good thing.

"We made probably 15 zucchini breads this summer," Wendy said.

For Jack, it was all new. And pretty exciting.

"I didn't even know what a zucchini looked like, and then one day I went out there, and there was a big, huge one," he said. Lots more were to follow, he added.

In the little pumpkin patch, two grew to a size sufficient for carving. That will happen next week: Jack's Jack o' lanterns.

He's pretty sure when spring comes back, he'll plant some seeds again. His mom doesn't think he'll be alone.

"This garden was such a highlight, all his friends want to have one next year," she said.

The whole star-power thing probably won't deter them one bit.