Local kids race with mom

On most days, Cynthia Straub is a Windsor mom of seven. Last
Tuesday she put on a helmet, named herself Cynful and took first
place overall in a high-speed go-kart race in a fierce competition
against—you guessed it—other Windsor moms.
Did her years of experience driving real cars help her garner
the win? “I don’t think so,” she said with a laugh. “You can’t
drive like that on the road. You’d get a ticket.”
Straub and her son Asher were among a group of 75 families to
participate in Windsor Creek Elementary School’s first annual
mother-son race night at Driven Raceway, an entertainment venue
that offers racing, Black Light Mini Golfing, arcade games and
food. The event is the school’s answer to the father-daughter
dance, an event where mom and son can spend a night out and have
some fun.
“A few years ago we started doing the father-daughter dance, and
the mothers came up to me and asked ‘what about us?” said school
principal Maureen Grafeld. “I promised the moms I’d come up with
something fun for them.”
Grafeld didn’t need to look far for inspiration. Windsor Creek
Elementary School parents and Windsor residents Matt Stearn and Rod
Towery own Driven Raceway, an indoor European electric go-kart
racing facility in Rohnert Park. The Stearn and Towery families
already donate gift certificates to schools throughout Windsor and
Sonoma County.
“We do a lot of fundraising for schools,” said Stearn, whose
wife Julie is a first grade teacher at Mattie Washburn Elementary
School. “With all the budget cuts, there are challenges to
scholastic programs. These kids are our future. We try to make an
investment into that future.”
Towery said the public service is a win-win for both Driven
Raceway and students. “Students are a pretty big part of our
demographic,” he said. “We feel this is a great way to keep in
touch with the kids and give back to the community. It’s giving the
kids something fun to do and it also brings their parents, their
siblings and their friends into the building to see how cool Driven
Raceway is.”
While Driven Raceway invites the community in, Grafeld said such
events help schools come together. She sees direct correlations
between fun and student success and enjoys trying new events to
entice her students and their families to spend more time with one
another. “I think the more involved we get families in special
events like this the more involved they’ll be in the school,” said
Grafeld. “When I can get the parents and the kids excited about the
school there are only plusses.”
Grafeld’s idea was a big hit. “It’s really cool,” said third
grader Aaron Hansen, 8. “You have to slow down when you have to
turn. It’s really fun and I like playing the arcades.”
Ana Hansen, his mother, said the afternoon out was a good
opportunity to spend time with her son and other parents. “It’s
great to have fun with the kids,” she said. “I am a little nervous
because I’ve never done this before. I think I’m going to be
crashing over there.”