When the fourth and fifth graders at Lafayette’s Escuela Bilingue Pioneer were sent to the gym on Thursday, it wasn’t for an extra P.E. lesson. Instead, the students were surprised with an invitation to pick out a new skateboard.

“We can go outside and be active more,” fourth grader Lucia Moreno-Johnson said.

Longmont-based nonprofit Can’d Aid partnered with Medtronic employees to build the 220 skateboards at Medtronic’s Lafayette location on Wednesday.

Square State Skate, which provides skateboarding lessons in Boulder County, helped by teaching a mini-lesson to the students on Thursday.

Through its Treads and Trails program, Can’d Aid regularly holds bike and skateboard building events and donations to encourage elementary students locally and in other states to be active.

Can’d Aid and Medtronic have partnered on several local builds over the last few years.

Medtronic executive assistant Elizabeth Bailey, who serves as the regional civic lead for the Medtronic Foundation, said the opportunity to help get kids off screens is a way for the company to encourage healthy habits. Plus, she said, it’s a fun way to volunteer.

“You do the work and you immediately see the impact in the community,” she said.

Square State Skate owner Brian Ball and director David Biddle started by sharing the benefits of skateboarding. Ball said he fell in love with the skateboarding community after finding support when he moved to the Philippines as a child, while Biddle liked it better than team sports.

“It’s a very individual activity,” Biddle said. “All I really needed was myself, my skateboard and my helmet. A skateboard has no rules. I was just trying to challenge myself.”

Next, they helped students figure out which foot to place in front on the board by having them do karate kicks — the foot you land on that’s in front is the same one that goes at the front of the board. They also demonstrated jumping off the board as a way to stop and wiggling to put pressure on one side of the board to turn.

After choosing a board — and a helmet — the students tried skating across the gym. Some raced across the slick wood floor, while other wobbled cautiously, depending on their experience level. Those who want to test their new boards at a skate park won’t have to go far since the Lafayette Skate Park is next to their school.

As students took off on their boards, Ball advised patience while learning.

“You’re going to have a lot of opportunity to explore and find out what you like on a skateboard,” he said. “Remember to take it low and slow.”

Emilio Marquez said he likes skateboarding because “I like just having fun outside.”

Kennedy Torres credited her active lifestyle of sports, dance, hoverboarding and bouncing on a pogo stick to helping make it easier to learn to skateboard.

“Skateboarding is good on my legs,” she said.

For classmate Avery Rowan, she’s only tried skateboarding because her brother has a board.

“It’s a new experience,” she said.