Students ski lesson on the playground

Fourth-graders at Iona Elementary School are hitting the powder while on the playground.

Bonneville School District 93’s Nordic ski program outfits each school with sets of cross country skis, poles and boots.

This week, every fourth-grade class at Iona Elementary School got an hour a day to practice their new ski skills.

Teachers involved said that this teaches kids resilience and if they fall, to get back up.

For a lot of the students, it is the first time they are doing a snow sport.

“First day was kind of an overload, (have) to figure out, ‘OK, what do I need to wear to do this?'” said William Stewart, a fourth-grade teacher at Iona Elementary School. “The second day they came ready to go again. Today is our fourth day, so they are still getting out there in this cold temperature.”

The school said it has done the ski program in years past, but this was the first year in a while. Teachers hope to see this return again next year.