Treating the kids like royalty: School throws down towels to beat the ice

Ravensbourne School pupils use towels to cross Wanaka St outside their school, during frosty weather yesterday. Photo / Otago Daily Times

When things get icy in winter and your school is on one of the steeper streets in Dunedin, sometimes an unorthodox solution is required to get to class in the morning.

For Ravensbourne School, that solution is towels - and lots of them.

Principal Megan Odgers said the weather had been so frosty lately, staff had placed towels across Wanaka St outside the school so pupils could cross the road without slipping over.

''This morning when I got to school at 7.45am, it was -2C.

''This is the worst icy weather we've ever had. It's far more frequent than what we've had here in previous years. I've been here nine years.

''Our playground is still frozen down at the bottom.

''Sometimes we have to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up to school.''

Mrs Odgers said the school had used carpet to create a crossing in the past, but now they were an all-female staff, carpet was too heavy to carry.

''So we use towels. It's not red carpet, but it still makes the kids feel like royalty.

''People often comment on it.''

Mrs Odgers said the great thing about towels was they could be dried overnight to use next day.