SAN ANTONIO – This was a year unlike any other. Find more stories wrapping up 2020 here.
Sometimes the best things in life come in the tiniest of packages. Or in this case, the best people sometimes are the youngest in our society.
The year 2020 has challenged us in every type of way we can possibly imagine. It’s toughened us up and had us try and press forward, but it has also brought out the very best.
Some amazing things have happened in our area during these most trying of times and many of them have been done by kids.
Here are seven of San Antonio’s most memorable and positive kid-related stories from 2020.
Do you know a student, classroom or school that is doing amazing work and deserves to be featured? You can nominate someone by emailing ksatkids@ksat.com.
KSAT 12 wants to continue to highlight teachers’ and students’ accomplishments. To read more about all the fun and exciting things that are going on in and out of the classroom, head to KSAT’s kid-friendly zone, KSAT Kids.
1. San Antonio 7-year-old educates elementary kids in math during pandemic
A 7-year-old boy in San Antonio has spent his time in quarantine helping other children learn math by way of a YouTube channel.
He reads and writes in Spanish, but his biggest enjoyment is math.
“I really like the concept of how it works,” Josiah said. “Plus you can use it in many things in life.”
When the pandemic struck, Josiah began to think of ways he can use his gift to help other elementary kids.
“A lot of kids want to play video games,” Josiah said. “I saw a video where they said they were going to be home for three weeks. “I knew half the time, they are just going to sit on their video games all the time like my brother does,” he laughed. “So I thought, to prevent that from happening, let’s also teach them some math.”
2. Pre-teen makeup artist uses passion for makeup to give back to community
A 12-year-old makeup artist is using her passion for makeup to give back to the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.
Adrialynn Alvarado started doing makeup a year and a half ago.
“It started off as a joke, and it just took off,” said Monique Gonzalez, her mother. “When she first started, she wasn’t that good, but now she has grown a lot and does makeup live.”
Alvarado’s perseverance paid off. She has learned many things with the makeup industry, and was given the opportunity to create her own makeup pallet to be sold. The pallet was so successful, it sold out. Alvarado has since donated part of the proceeds made from her pallet to a children’s hospital of her choice.
3. Devine teen illustrates Queen of Tejano in new children’s book ‘Simplemente Selena’
A new book is catching the attention of Selena fans, especially those in the San Antonio area. The book titled “Simplemente Selena” was written by an author from Castroville, and illustrated by a teen from the city of Devine.
Madeline Hein has loved art since she was a little girl.
Hein was asked draw and to keep true to her cartoon-style artwork to illustrate the late Queen of Tejano, Selena Quintanilla.
“I knew that this is going to probably spike a little bit of popularity since she’s pretty well known,” Hein said. “She (wore) a lot of sparkly outfits, and it was really kind of out there, so, I had to kind of depict that in my drawings.”
4. Fifth grade musician with prosthetic honors late father by playing violin
The Northside Independent School District said a legendary student walked the halls of Villarreal Elementary, inspiring others through a positive attitude and passion for music.
His name is Kevin Gonzalez, a fifth grader.
Gonzalez was taking after-school violin classes, but learning to read music and play a song is not his biggest challenge.
Gonzalez was born without his lower left arm. But it hasn’t stopped him or his teachers and even community members at Villarreal Elementary from dreaming big.
5. Boerne toddler hailed a hero for alerting mother to high-water danger involving his father, sister
A 3-year-old boy was recognized as a hero by the Boerne Fire Department for his quick thinking that led to the rescue of his father and his young sister from high water.
Miles Butry was puddle jumping with his 6-year-old sister, Ella, and their father, Blake Butry, near their home when something went wrong.
When the pair were gushed about 250 feet into a culvert, Miles ran home to tell his mother.
Firefighters were called and they arrived in time to find the two about 15 feet underground. They were pulled to safety without injury.
6. ‘Helping people is the right thing to do’: Northside ISD student sews over 1,000 face masks for San Antonians
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, made over 1,000 face masks for the San Antonio community since he first learned to sew this spring, according to NISD.
Mateo also learned to crochet to help make the straps for the masks. Once he learned how to make the masks, he began giving them away and selling them online.
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.
7. San Antonio teen wins national honors while trying to prove mom wrong
Are parents always right? An eighth grader at Keystone won national honors after putting her mom’s advice to the test.
During the last academic year, Joanna Sohn’s mother added something new to her daily routine that didn’t sit well with the then middle schooler.
“It originally started off because my mother forced me to eat probiotics daily,” Sohn said.
Sohn had some doubts, which sparked the idea of a science project to hopefully prove mom wrong.
Sohn then tried to determine whether probiotics were actually beneficial for her health, and she did it by using roundworms.
When asked if the findings has convinced her to follow her mom’s advice, Sohn said, “Yeah, unfortunately.”
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