Westside Elementary school hosts the annual Box Car Derby where Kindergarteners race in handmade cardboard boxes. 


“I am a watchdog volunteer here ready to do whatever they need me to do.  There are plenty of other parents out here volunteering; this is a fun day for the kindergarteners,” said parent volunteer Jonathon Fisher.


The objective of the Box Car Derby was to teach the students about transportation. The kindergarteners raced around the track and competed for first place within their own classes.


The goal of the Derby is to decorate the box to the child’s liking. The box has to be over nine inches wide to meet the requirements of the box car derby; the smaller the box, the better. The box decorations ranged from a child’s favorite ninja turtle to a pretty butterfly.


“We are racing boxcars and I am having fun,” said kindergartener Jaxon Sain.


There are three “pit stops” that the racers used: get gas, cleaning their windshield, and checking their tires. The kindergarteners would drink a cup of water which represented getting gas, wiping off their faces was equivalent to cleaning their windshield, and making sure their shoes were tied meant checking their tires.


The challenge of racing in front of a huge crowd seemed to frighten some children but excited someParents could come out and watch their child race the other kids. The staff provided a station that served donuts and coffee. 


The challenge of racing in front of a huge crowd seemed to frighten some children but excited some.The challenge of racing in front of a huge crowd seemed to frighten some children but excited some.