When the Pennsylvania Technology Student Association (PA-TSA) canceled its state conference that had been scheduled for this month, a local student put her problem-solving skills to use.
Darby Lewis, a sixth-grader at George A. Smith Middle School, had qualified to attend the conference and compete in the problem-solving event. "It just sounded cool," Darby said of her interest in her chosen area of competition.
During the state contest, Darby and classmate Lily Gavin would have worked together to develop a finite solution to a specific problem provided. The pair had qualified for the state conference by performing well at the regional level. Along with other TSA members, Darby and Lily stayed after school one day a week to practice.
To help pay for her participation in the conference, Darby had planned to make and sell fabric keychains and lip balm holders. Her mother, Shannon Lewis, explained that when the cancellation was announced, Darby already had the supplies in stock, so she decided to go ahead with the sewing. Darby had requested and received a sewing machine this past Christmas, and between what she learned in her Family and Consumer Sciences class and from her mother, Darby was ready to sew some cute items.
Darby was presented with a problem, however. If she sold the keychains and lip balm holders, what would she do with the proceeds? Ultimately, she decided to use the money to buy groceries for the Solanco Neighborhood Ministries food bank.
"We saw that there was a need in the community with more people unemployed and kids being home from school not getting all of (the) meals (they would at school)," Shannon said. "I work at Quarryville Elementary School, so that's near and dear. Those families are important to us."
In just one week, Darby had sold enough of her items to purchase $175 worth of food and household products for the food bank. Like her daughter, Shannon is also supporting the community, as she is currently sewing masks. Eventually, Darby expects to do some sewing for the fall, as she wants to join Shannon in selling items at craft shows. Until then, though, she plans to keep sewing and selling the fabric keychains and lip balm holders for as long as her friends are interested.
"(Darby) clearly demonstrated her outstanding problem-solving skills and compassion for her community with her actions that transformed a disappointing situation into an important benefit for local residents," said Solanco School District communications director Keith Kaufman.
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