Glenda Sidman, a French teacher at Jupiter High, is working with her husband, Kevin Sidman, to make and sell masks to help protect JHS faculty and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Mr. Sidman has always had a talent for creativity. He owns his own company, Sidman Canvases, where he designs all types of covers for boats and boat cushions. 

“Once we learned of the virus, he immediately put his boating orders on hold while explaining to his customers that he needed to help people and make masks for protection,” Sidman said.

Creating masks for Jupiter and its faculty was a difficult task, but Mr. Sidman put in the extra hours to research the best template and most protective fabric he could find. He wanted the masks to be effective. 

“The masks are made of Evolution, a Kimberly Clark fabric used for surgeon gowns in hospitals,” Sidman said.

As soon as Mr.Sidman started making masks, Jupiter High Principal Dr. Colleen Iannitti sent an email to JHS faculty and staff letting everyone know the Sidmans were making masks and that they were available for purchase right away. 

 “The floodgates opened, and to date, he has probably made 600 or more masks for the Warrior family and friends,” Sidman said. “Family and friends jumped in and helped cut, sew and string them.”

Buyers were truly impressed by the quality of the masks and by how fast they were being made. Eventually, the Sidmans were taking bulk orders for the entire community to purchase. As soon as the masks were ready, at the beginning of April, they met their customers in the Office Depot parking lot on E. Indiantown Rd., to maintain social distancing. 

“We donned our masks and had given everyone an order number. We had the bagged and labeled masks with instructions for sanitizing them ready with their order number,” Sidman said.

To make sure they and their customers stayed safe and healthy, the Sidman’s did all transactions for the masks through online purchasing apps, like venmo. They also made sure not to touch any cash or checks handed to them by someone else. Although a time-consuming process, the Sidmans were happy to help.

“We did this three times over two weeks, and occasionally, a few orders trickle in, but the orders have definitely slowed down as people have procured their masks,” Sidman said.

If anyone is still interested in purchasing a mask, please reach out to Mrs. Sidman via email at [email protected], and she will place your order, and supply you with as many masks as you need. 

“We are happy to make a difference and help those in need,” Sidman said.