The Somers School District 29 board of trustees approved a request for individual classes to raise funds for ski trips to Blacktail Mountain Ski Area during their regular board meeting on Oct. 8. The district is also seeking instrument donations for band students.

“There are some kids that would never get a chance (to learn to ski),” Lakeside Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Lucia Ek said.

The ski trip request originated with the fifth-grade due to Blacktail’s free pass for fifth-grade students. But, other grades showed interest.

“When I first heard about this I thought it was fifth-grade, but I see the benefit of having more than just fifth-grade,” board member Courtney Shaeffer said. “As long as our winter is, it is a wonderful aspect.”

According to district clerk Diane Fetterhoff, the cost for a trip to Blacktail would require one or two busses per class at $60 each.

Somers Middle School teacher Holiday Madich said the cost for a full day of ski lessons at Blacktail would cost about $22 for each fifth-grade student thanks to the free pass deal, and would cost about $28 per student for the other grades.

“It’s a very reasonable fee for a full day of lessons,” Madich said.

During the board’s meeting they discussed concerns about liability issues. Superintendent Paul Jenkins said if the students are supervised the entire time then it minimizes liability risks. He also said the students would be grouped based on their skiing abilities.

Fundraising for the trips began last weekend with a ski swap at the elementary school gym. The swap raised funds for students who can’t afford the cost of the trip. Madich said no student will be forced to participate, but they won’t be unable to either.

The ski trips aren’t the only program seeking funds. The district’s band program is currently seeking instrument donations.

According to board member Sam Bagley, the band program has a shortage of instruments for the students to use. Don West, band director for both schools, said the district only has five or six instruments and 50 band students in fifth-grade and about 50 more in sixth-grade. West said not all of the students can afford to buy their own instruments, so they are looking for French horns, baritones, oboes, bassoons, tubas and anything else to help the school band become more balanced.

“The kids buy their own trumpets, flutes, and clarinets, which is fine in fifth-grade, but in junior high we need bigger ones to make the band balanced.”

The donated instruments can be new or gently used and just in need of being refurbished.

“It would be cheaper than to go out and buy one,” Bagley said. “We’re trying to stretch our dollar as far as we can.”

Bagley also said instrument donations could count toward a tax deduction and can be dropped off at Somers Middle School. For more information about instrument donations, call West at 857-3661.

As of Oct. 13, the Somers Music and Arts Fund is at $2,800 after Pharmfill Inc. Remedies Lakeside donated $500 and Bagley matched another $500.

The Somers Music and Art Fund is set up at Flathead Bank in Lakeside and all donations are tax deductable. Bagley will receive notification whenever a deposit is made and will then transfer the same amount of money from his personal account into the fund up to a total of $5,000.

In other district news, enrollment is down by three as of Oct. 1 when compared to Oct. 3, 2011. Attendance at LES dropped from 399 students to 376, and SMS increased from 184 students to 204.

The next board meeting will be held Nov. 20 with a work session at 6 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7 p.m., both segments are open to the public.