While many students were busy playing sports or hitting the swimming pool, one St. Louis student spent her summer, not only continuing to learn, but also giving to others. Emma Page, a fifth grade student at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Des Peres, took this past summer to learn how to sew. While many may consider sewing to be a lost art, Emma took to it with ease with the help of her grandmother, Carol Page. Carol comes in from Washington every summer to spend two months with her grandchildren. It was Emma’s plan from the beginning to make pillowcases after reading an American Girl book about a girl who made pillowcases and donated them. She wanted to do the same. Emma and her mother, Beth Page, researched St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s website and discovered they accepted pillowcases and the instructions to complete. Emma and her grandmother worked on the pillowcases throughout the summer. First picking the fabric and the trim, making sure the pillowcases would be for boys and girls of all ages. Then the work of transformation to pillowcases began by cutting and sewing the pieces together. They set up an assembly line with Emma cutting out the pattern and sewing while Grandma ironed the seams. They spent many hours together over the course of the summer and in the end were able to donate 15 pillowcases to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Kimber Wilcox, a Special Events Project Coordinator from Children’s was presented with the completed pillowcases at the end of the summer. When asked why she wanted to learn to sew, Emma replied, “I liked the idea of taking something and transforming it into something else." She went on to say that sewing is like that - taking a piece of fabric and making it into anything you want. She also made pajamas for herself and an exchange student that lives with them. Emma knew from the beginning she wanted to make something for others. Her mom credits this dedication to giving and service to her school, St. Paul’s Lutheran, “Molding caring servant leaders in everything they do, and instilling the desire to give to others.” It was a unique and fun summer project – learning a new talent, spending time with family, and serving others – and transformational in more ways than one. Emma has already declared that she would like to do it again.
For over 164 years, St. Paul’s Lutheran School, located at the intersection of Ballas Road and Manchester Road in Des Peres, has created a legacy of providing excellent Christian education for children ages 6 weeks through eighth grade. St. Paul’s is committed to sharing Christ's love and providing an environment and opportunity for students to develop their God-given potential: spiritually, academically, physically, emotionally, and socially as they strive in their mission toward developing caring servant leaders. Visit us at www.stpaulsdesperes.org.