This week I finally get to talk about my own school, Realms high school. The Rubbish renewed show is a fundraiser for our school and generally a really cool event. I can probably say that it’s the biggest fashion show in Bend. The stuff they’ve got is crazy. The met gala has nothing on these guys.

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Today, I’m taking a look at the proposed BLP learning levy. What it does, how it does it, and everything else. I’m joined by district Superintendent Dr.Cook who answers all the questions about the levy. I’m curious as to if it will pass and if so, by what margin. If you go back and watch my video on the teacher’s union negotiations from last year, there is some massive foreshadowing.

The Bulletin story: https://www.bendbulletin.com/opinion/editorial-what-is-the-bend-school-levy-on-the-ballot-about/article_eacdc86e-064b-11ef-802a-db3c446a38d4.html

Bend La-Pine levy: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/news-events/2024-levy

Union negotiations video: https://youtu.be/-mzyhL0C95A

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The post The BLP learning levy W/ Superintendent Cook! appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

When looking at the stats, the data will say that the most popular car in Oregon is either a Toyota RAV4, Tacoma or a Ford F-150. But those are just really the generic “American” cars that are popular nationwide. America loves pickup trucks, even though the people who buy them should actually buy an SUV and the beds of their trucks will never see a two-by-four. The Subaru SUV is a native species to this part of the world. So, what is going to replace it in the future?

To name a successor, it’s important to identify the core reasons why they are so popular. The first and most widely acknowledged reason is the Subaru’s off-road capability. The capabilities are simple: all Subaru models (except the BRZ) have all-wheel drive (AWD.) The feature doesn’t cost extra as with most other brands. People do want AWD in Bend, even though, as Top Gear proved, it isn’t exactly necessary. 

That feeds into perceived capabilities. People want AWD in their cars because they want the idea of security through AWD. Some even resort to purchasing AWD badges to make their vehicles seem “tougher.” Subarus and other cars that want to seem off-roady have plastic black cladding on the sides, specifically on the wheel arches because they look cool. They are theoretically there for shielding the vehicle’s paint from rocks. 

It’s a general trend in the car industry: people buy the highest-spec cool-looking off-road version so it looks like it can drive up Mount Everest. Many of those who buy the “wilderness” edition do so because of the cool yellow accents and the roof rack, not so they can drive out into the forest. If you do use an off-roading-designed car properly, good on you. 

Another reason behind their popularity is their affordability. Sure, some people have $100,000 to spend on a new car, but even for upper-class Bend, that’s not a reasonable budget. It’s what the Fiat 500 was to post-war Italy: an affordable car that fit the style and needs of the population.

Recently, many Rivians have begun popping up all over town. Although they are sturdy vehicles, prices start at 80 grand. It suffers from the problem that all other big luxury electric vehicles (EVs) face: everybody who wants to buy one has already done just that. However, Rivian just recently released the R2, which is very similar to the R1 (the original model) and will start at $45,000 when it hits the market in 2026. 

The obvious solution to what will replace the Subarus is another Subaru. And yes, Subaru has made an EV, but suffice it to say, it isn’t good enough. Put plainly, the Subaru Solterra is decidedly plain. It was developed jointly with Toyota because neither could be bothered to make a renewable-energy model on its own. The range, charging and other features are quite uncompetitive at its starting price of $44,000 and especially bad at higher trim prices of 50,000+. 

The better car to get would be either the VW I.D4 if you’re looking to spend around $40,000 or less. The Kia EV6 is another good choice for those who are able to spend closer to $50,000 for better range, charging and generally a more premium feel. The ID.4 starts at $38,000 vs $44,000 for the Solterra. Granted, the I.D4 doesn’t have standard AWD, but because of the much lower starting price, the addition of AWD brings it about parallel with the Subaru. 

But, what will the people of Oregon want? They need something cool yet affordable, with offroading capabilities yet practical. My prediction is that Rivian will be the new dominant force. Rivian already has a strong presence here. When the R2 comes out, that will give people a more affordable option and they’ll want to buy it, as the R1 series has become more ubiquitous and will become an aspirational item. People will desire the Rivian experience, and there will be one at a price they can afford, admittedly in a couple of years. At that point, the R1 will have been on the market for long enough that the used market will have them for more reasonable prices. 

Regardless of that, they’ll have some pretty heavy competition from the likes of Volkswagen’s “Scout” (a new brand rumored to produce vehicles similar to Rivian, big, chunky electric SUVs) Tesla and Kia. Rivian has gone past what 99 percent of past EV startups achieved; they’ve successfully sold thousands of cars. When the R2 comes out, those will certainly be crowding our streets.

The post What Car Will Replace the Subaru Outback? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

This week, I go on a rant about College mail. Be it Emails or physical mail, there’s just too much of it. Two of our editors, Wes and Lina bring in their monumental collection of mail they received from colleges so we can put together the median college message at the end.

Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/aibmii/a_brief_analysis_of_2374_college_emails/

The post The Problem With College Mail: There’s Too Much of It. appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

This week, I take a deep dive into the negotiations between Bend La-Pine schools and the Bend Education Association. What the terms are, what the sticking points are, why is it taking so long, and when will they be done? It took me a long time, but I found all the information. Put any more questions in the comments. Relevant links for more info: https://www.smore.com/0n4tg https://www.smore.com/30ze2

The post What’s going on with the Bend BEA teacher negotiations, explained appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

The event has been running for 20 years and is one of the only ones of its kind. You can go around town to local venues to see films and hear the filmmakers after. Any aspiring maker from middle to high school can submit a film to the Future Filmmakers competition and get their film screened and seen by professionals. This is such a cool opportunity that you really can’t find anywhere else. 

I have submitted a film in both 2022 and 2023 and won two years in a row. In order to get a film in the Future Filmmakers screening, all you need to do is submit it. That’s it. Send it in, and you too could have the audience’s attention. Now, there are a sizable number of iMovies made by 10-12-year-olds, but that’s just a product of the filmmaking camp they run during the summer for 7th-9th graders. In addition, there is also a competition from the City of Bend to make a public service announcement that gets a prize and is shown as well. 

My mentor for the initial development of my film education was an 80-year-old film critic who invited a class of high school students to learn film in his San Francisco apartment. The film I made for the 2022 festival went through six versions and three reshoots. It was originally a film I made for an assignment he gave me, but the revision process took so long that I had moved to Bend by the time it had finished. The film was called “Escape” and followed a character who was feeling stuck at home but remembered a time when they could go out on the beach. The film was actually finished at the beginning of 2021 and then submitted to that year’s festival. However, because of COVID, everything was delayed until 2022. 

The film I made for 2023 was called “The Last Dodo Hunter”, a mockumentary about a man who believes that dodo birds are still alive. From the planning to filming, the whole process only took me an hour and a half, which just goes to show that you can make a great film with a short time period. They say a film is made three times, once when you write it, second when you shoot it, and third when you edit it. A symptom of bad films is not considering one part when doing another, so understand the whole picture before you start drawing the margins. Good luck.

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“This is why we’re called ADHD,” senior Drake Walker, guitarist and vocalist for the band ADHD, laughed. His bandmates cracked up as they talked over each other, after a rehearsal of their newest song. Walker’s garage, where the band practices, is always full of music and camaraderie.

The group met at their high school, Caldera, and came together because of their passion for music when Walker invited them to be a part of his band. His previous band had fallen apart. ADHD consists of junior guitarist and bassist Teague Myers, sophomore drummer Luke Austin, senior pianist Brendan Bessman, senior singer/songwriter Nora Jean, and senior Drake Walker.  

So far, ADHD has only performed at Summerfest in downtown Bend. The band has not yet performed any original songs, but they plan to. 

“We’ll probably perform them at our next gig, which is gonna be the Bend Roots Festival,” Bessman said. The festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing Central Oregon culture, and located this year on the Midtown Corridor, September 15-17.

The process of creating songs is usually something that the whole band collaborates on. Walker and Jean start with writing the lyrics. 

“Then we share it with everybody and we all build off of it,” Jean explained. “[For the instruments] it’s usually major improv. And then if we like it, we’re like, ‘hey, do that again.’” 

“[Drake] comes up with chords and then we tell him, ‘that chord doesn’t work, man.’ That’s a bad chord, pick better chords. We pick better chords for him sometimes,” Myers said. “You kinda just do your thing, and then we all do our own thing, and it just comes together.”

“If you wanna make a song like ADHD, that’s how you do it. We’re the most unproductive-productive band ever,” Jean added.

The main genre of the band is still undecided.

“It’s almost like all of our genres just come together,” Myers explained. “It’s up to the interpretation of our listeners, our fans. I don’t know if we know how to classify it.” The band plays lots of different types of music; funk, indie rock, pop, rock-and-roll, and alternative. 

“Pretty much everything except country,” Walker said. 

School music programs have been incredibly beneficial for the members of ADHD. For Myers, the school bands and choirs have been especially impactful for him. 

“In band I get a lot of opportunities to play different instruments, different beats and patterns. I play bass for jazz choir, and I get lots of opportunities to play good music that I like, with a group of good musicians. And that improves my skills as a musician,” Myers explained. 

Bessman has been involved with the Caldera Choirs, which has given him an opportunity to learn from Luke MacSween, the choir teacher.

“[The music programs] support musicians at our school pretty well. We always get opportunities to play outside of school and inside of school, they’ve been great,” Jean added. “Our teacher, MacSween, he’s wonderful. He wants us to play as much as we can, and he really prioritizes how much we’re able to share our talent. The school helps out immensely, for sure.” 

Drummer Luke Austin received a drum set for Christmas when he was five years old, and has been playing ever since. Austin is involved with the Caldera Bands, which help him develop his skills. 

“I [get to] practice more through school, and not just outside of school. [I do] an hour a day of practice.”

“Before the pandemic, we were in middle school and we had our amazing music teacher, which we had for eight years,” said Walker. His and Jean’s middle school music teacher, Rebecca Nores, was most crucial in his musical journey. “She was really instrumental in our music careers, and she was able to get us a couple gigs in middle school. It started just with that middle school teacher, honestly. We love you, Mrs. Nores.”

Most of the band would love to become full-time musicians. As Myers put it, “It would definitely be my dream job, dream career, in any scenario, to be a full time musician, but no matter what I do in my life, music will always be a major part.” 

 “I want to do music for the rest of my life,” said Jean. “I see it hopefully as my entire future and as my entire career. So I hope whatever steps I do now will allow me to make that a full time job.” 

Bessman does not plan to go pro, but he enjoys music and that’s what matters. “I hope to make some side gig off of it, make it a part of my living… Hopefully our band does pretty well, and if I just make some side money off of it, I’m doing what I love, so it’s fun either way.”  

In the future, ADHD hopes to become successful, all while becoming better musicians and having fun.

The post ADHD: An up-and-coming Central Oregon Sensation? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

See also, Big Sky Bike Park Opens in Time for Summer.

Today, I’m joined by my friend Banyan Howell, and the #1 14 year old female bmx racer in the world, Sophia “Sophast” Rodriguez. We take a look at the new bend bmx track and how it was made. And Banyan does some sick tricks.

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The first in what will be many story videos. Today, we interview Summer and Victoria, two of three sisters that are the new owners of the tumalo lavender farm. They tell us about why they bought it and how they run it.

The post Inside the Tumalo Lavender farm with the new owners appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Yes, I could have called it munching with Matt, but pretty much no munching happens. Matt joins us to talk about the arguments between the teachers union and the school district. We argue that dogs should have driver’s licenses. And no, I don’t have covid. I tested negative multiple times

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38sNXtsVxjNCMr2G5HocUh?si=672dc3a4fe0d4856

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