SAN ANTONIO – A Northside ISD student is making a difference in San Antonio’s fight against the coronavirus, one stitch at a time.
Mateo Alcorta, a fourth grader at Jimmy L. Elrod Elementary School, has made over 1,000 face masks for the San Antonio community since he first learned to sew this spring, according to NISD.
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The school district took to social media Thursday to recognize Mateo for his efforts.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them make masks! @NISDElrod 4th grader Mateo has made over 1,000 masks since learning to sew this spring. He's been recognized with awards for his work to keep the community safe. Meet this masked hero on a mission! #NISDBackTogetherBetter pic.twitter.com/CKtMItOT8v
— Northside ISD (@NISD) October 8, 2020
Mateo is an avid fan of BTS, a boy band that was going to perform in Dallas in February. He was going to attend the show until it got canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, instead of feeling defeated, Mateo decided he wanted to help the band stay safe during the pandemic. So his mother, Elizabeth Salinas, taught him how to sew face masks, according to NISD.
“First of all, I wanted to help BTS. And I also wanted to help the community too,” Mateo told NISD.
Mateo also learned to crochet to help make the straps for the masks. Once he learned how to make the masks, he began selling them online.
His mother says, eventually, they began selling the face masks in mass quantities due to the high demand.
The masks were given out for free as well, the family told NISD.
Mateo has since been recognized for his efforts and has received several awards, including the State Board of Education’s Student Heroes Award, NISD said.
To learn more about Mateo’s face masks, visit his Facebook page here.
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