Fifth Graders Hit the Slopes

WAITSBURG – Last Friday was a school day, but the slopes at Ski Bluewood were filled with students, and they weren't play hooky. Waitsburg fifth graders joined students from Dayton, Starbuck, and Jubilee Leadership Academy at Bluewood to focus on something other than the three R's – learning to ski.

Ski Bluewood General Manager Kim Clark said Bluewood offers special school rates for multi-week lessons, as well as single-day field trips, to Touchet Valley schools. They also offer special group pricing to organizations like Scouts or church groups.

"Our goal is to create skiers for life and to create the culture of skiing from an early age," Clark said. "Skiing is part of a healthy lifestyle and it keeps their minds and bodies active." Studies show that if people don't start skiing at an early age, they seldom take it up later in life, he added.

Retired Waitsburg fifth grade teacher Pam Conover started planning the Waitsburg program in 2008, with the first trip in 2009. She said she got the idea after her granddaughter Amy, who was four at the time, asked her to ski with her. Conover hadn't been skiing since she was in a vehicle accident in 1996, but made it down the hill safely.

"Then I realized that John Lindsey had been taking Dayton students to Ski Bluewood for a number of years, so I asked Dr. Clarke if we could have a ski program as well'" she said.

Clarke said she could if she could find the funding.

Conover sent a letter of interest to the then fourth-grade parents and the community pitched in to raise funds. All the parents helped with five Fifth Grade Family Fitness Fun Runs, and local businesses paid to be listed as sponsors on event T-shirts. They even raised enough money to purchase helmets for each child.

"A number of parents and community members came up and skied with their kids and everyone, regardless of monies, could participate. Since most students had never skied before, all were on an even playing field. It was another example of the school and community coming together to support our children," Conover said

Last Friday, this year's fifth grade class was on its third of four lessons. Teacher Gabe Keifel said parents and students have raised funds by selling Little Ceasars pizza kits, selling pizza slices at basketball games, and running the halftime hoop shoot during varsity games.

"All 100 two-liter sodas for the hoop shoot were donated by one parent and helped raise almost $300. In total, the class has raised almost $1,000 which is enough to pay for about one-third of the students in the ski program," Keifel said.

Of the 24 students who participated in the program, Keifel said only five had ever skied before. He said the day of their first lesson was rainy and miserable. He asked the kids if they wanted to change to a different day, but they said "no way!"

On Friday, the students were quick to point out that nearly all of them had graduated from the Bunny Hill and were using the lift to ski Country Roads. When asked if they were having fun the response was enthusiastically affirmative, with a few comments about sore and tired legs.

The majority of the parents who skied with the students or helped chaperone don't even have students in the class. Jim Wilson said he has been helping since Conover first started the program. "If it weren't for the kids, I probably wouldn't even ski, anymore," he said.

Dain Henderson and Valerie Kerr also helped the kids on the slopes, with several others stepping up as chaperones in the lodge. Heather Hays said that Umpqua Bank allows its staff 40 hours of community service time each year, and that she and Becky Harshman try and spend it volunteering for the school, when possible.

Keifel said his class will have a few more fundraisers to keep the program sustainable for next year. "My hope is to raise enough money throughout the year to pay for every student to participate in the ski program free of charge," he said. "I think it's a great program and the kids are really enjoying it," he added.