Sader Speedway sends kindergarten off to the races

Students build their own race cars and learn all about competition, camaraderie

The close proximity of St. James Lutheran School to the Shawano Speedway has turned the kindergarten students into race car drivers of their own.

St. James recently held its inaugural Sader Speedway. Summer Wisnefske was the champion once the dust settled and received a trophy for her efforts. Taking second place was Landon Stuebs, followed by Keaton Kropp in third and Livia Buckett in fourth.

“I love to find ways for my students to learn at home as well as here at St. James,” said kindergarten teacher Erika Kaiser. “This project allows the student’s entire family to be part of a special event.”

Sader Speedway spans across the curriculum from art to physical education, according to Kaiser, with students who love their artistic talents to put them on full display. All the race cars were built from scratch by kindergarten families for their children to drive around our racetrack. Each car had to made from a cardboard box and measure no more than 2 feet by 3 feet. Kindergartners were also tasked with finding sponsors for their cars. Racers competed in four heats to determine who would make it to the final feature.

“Since the Shawano Speedway is such a big part of our community and an event that is a highlight to many of my students’ lives, I felt this was a great way for them to work with their families to build a car and to imagine what it feels like to be a real race car driver,” Kaiser said.

The kindergarten class provided a program of the 23 racers who would be taking part in the race activities. The program included a picture of each racer, birthday, car number (from 1 to 1,000) and, finally, a fun fact about each driver. These facts included favorite colors, favorite animal and hobbies.

During each heat, all drivers were required to make two fuel stops and one pit stop. A fuel stop consisted of drivers drinking glasses of water and throwing away their cups. The pit stop was drivers working with their pit crews — eighth grade students — changing their shoes and continuing the race to the finish line.

“These little students were given support and shown Christian love by all the students as they raced around the track, sometimes not in first place,” Kaiser said. “Each student was encouraged to finish the race, whether they were in last place or first place. The crowd wanted them to do their best. Our students and their families will have a memory that will last a lifetime.”

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