Timber and Tobann Bionda are brothers attending Sisters High School and bring the Sisters High School community closer together through the creation of SHS’s first-ever FPV (First Person Drone) Club and the RC (Remote-Controlled) Plane Club. Tobann and Timber created both of these clubs after moving from a rural town in the Swiss Alps of France. They describe the initial transition to the U.S. as difficult, but they quickly made friends and created the RC Plane Club to create a space for people at SHS with similar interests in aviation.

“In France there were activities, but none of them related to school. Here, some people take science classes because they have to, but clubs can spark interest to pursue future activities,” said Timber.

The first club the brothers created together was RC Plane Club, in 2023. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a space where students can learn about and fly RC aircrafts together. The club has already gained media attention from the local Sisters newspaper “The Nugget” after launching Spruce Goose, a model plane with a 10-foot wingspan, spending just one day building it in the physics room.

The newly-found FPV club, however, aims to teach its members the intricacies of FPV drones, and the thrill of racing them. FPV drones are a type of unmanned aerial vehicle that are equipped with cameras and wirelessly transmit a video feed to VR headsets. This type of drone is typically used for racing courses with the goal to overcome the obstacles with the drone as quickly as possible. 

After acting as teachers for the RC Plane Club, the Bionda brothers wanted to have the opportunity to learn about these new and progressive drones as students.

“With the RC club we had a ton of funding and 12 drones donated… we’re hoping that Tobain will lead the club to start racing next year, maybe even between other schools,” said Timber.

“(FPV drones) are an innovative technology that are a gateway into future technologies,” stated Dugan Draper, a sophomore who has interest in the club.

The FPV Club is just getting set up and is looking forward to teaching SHS students about drone racing, and hopefully introducing the interest to schools around Central Oregon.

The post Sisters High School Drone Club Broadens Extracurricular Options for Students 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.

Now if you’re one of those people who don’t believe climate change is real or hate electric vehicles from some obscene reason like “They’re turning all the kids gay,” “They’re chinese” or “I love my big diesel” then go back into your cave and call me when the deep state kills us all.

Anyways, if you’re sane, and especially if you live in a sort-of suburban environment, there’s really no better option than an EV. Now, if you’re worried about range, then don’t be. Do you drive 500 miles every day? No? Then modern electric vehicle range is of no concern to you. Three hundred miles is the median right now for new electric vehicles. The occasional road trip won’t phase most modern electric vehicles either. I should now, I’ve been on several 500 mile road trips in a 2022 KIA EV6. 

One advantage the EV6 has is its charging speed. The KIA EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV60 all are made on the same platform and therefore have the same 800v charging architecture that allows them to go from 10% to 80% on a 350 kw Charger in 18 minutes according to Kia, and I can attest to that. That’s one of, if not the fastest charging on an electric vehicles right now. 

If your concern is the charging network, then here’s the thing: to most owners of electric vehicles, it would make no difference if there were 1 million chargers or one. That’s because you just charge your car at home. It just sits in the garage and charges, waiting for when you need it. If you ever do need to go on a road trip, I’ll admit the public charging network for non-tesla electric vehicles is not incredibly reliable, and I’ve experienced that firsthand. Of course, the cost saving alone is huge compared to gas. 

Now, gas is no longer that expensive, but it could easily be in the future. Even at current rates compared to charging at home, the price difference is huge. Home electricity is cheap and clean and most of our power around here comes from solar or hydro. Heck, a ton of people could charge their cars for free from the solar on their house. There also is basically zero maintenance cost. You never really have to service it (despite what dealers may say) because the number of moving parts is the number of motors you have on the car. Our EV6 has had no problems in the around a year and 14,000 miles we’ve had the car for, we’ve had no issues at all. We brought our EV6 in for a “service” yesterday, which the car demanded we do every time we started it in the past month or so. We gave it to the dealer, and nothing. Everything works, they told us, so basically all that happened is they topped up our washer fluid. Your mileage may vary on whatever model you buy in terms of reliability. That’s because even though the most reliable cars according to Consumer Reports, are the Tesla Model 3 and Nissan Leaf, other electric vehicles are a bit more scattered, so do your research, though most likely a software bug will be your problem if you have one.  

Now, there is the ugly question of upfront cost. Yes, generally, electric vehicles are more expensive than their gas-using counterparts, but it’s worth it. Don’t forget the aforementioned dirt-cheap running costs as well as federal and state electric tax credits. They also apply (in a smaller capacity) to used EVs as well. Those credits, according to the state of Oregon, aren’t actually claimed by most people. Those could knock off as much as 10 grand off the purchase price. But everyone just leases new cars anyways, and those tax credits apply to leases as well. If you’re a High Schooler like me, any car at all is too expensive and like me, you’re just getting whatever old car from your parents. But, if you got the money, you know how to spend it.

If you’re more automotively literate, then you may have heard the argument that the environmental cost of electric vehicle production nullifies its green credentials. MIT did a study to find out how long it takes for an electric vehicle to overcome its production costs, and the average they came up with is six to 18 months. Your time may be longer, but it’s going to be about a year or so generally. That’s a blink of an eye in the lifespan of most cars. On average, Americans keep their cars for 11.5 years. As well, you can be pretty sure most battery components are sourced ethically (as much as mining can be) because of the inflation reduction act. It requires cars to have most of their battery components sourced from North America or U.S. free trade partners if they want to qualify for the electric vehicle tax credit. It’s more complicated than that, but you get the idea. 

So, now we move on to our bonus round: recommendations. There’s plenty of material out there that’ll give you recommendations on what specific cars to buy. But here’s an abridged list sorted by price: (Prices come from places like Autotrader.com).

Around $10,000: 

Old Nissan leafs. Won’t take you that far, but as previously mentioned, it doesn’t really matter.

Crica $15,000:

Better Nissan leafs, and VW E-golf. Get an E-golf with the DC fast charging package. Plenty of good options. 

$20,000 to $25,000

2-4 year old chevy bolts are a smokin’ deal. So are old Teslas.

$30,000 to $35,000

On the lower end, you’ve got new and nearly new Chevy Bolt evs and EUVs. Hyundai Konas, and used Teslas. Tons of great stuff, just go with the one that fits your needs the best.

$40,000 to $45,000 

Great quality used Teslas. But you can treat yourself to something new like a VW ID.4. That’s the best one you can get in this price bracket for new cars. 

$50,000 to $60,000 

Get the Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5. You could also get a Model y or Model 3, delivery times be damned!

$70,000

Dude, knock yourself out. 

The post Why aren’t you buying an EV? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

School districts around the country are attempting to find solutions to this problem. According to The Verge, school officials in New York City have started banning access to ChatGPT, but this doesn’t necessarily solve the issue. While you can block ChatGPT on school-administered devices and networks, students can still use their own devices to access the chatbot and use the software however they please. 

Ayden Taylor, a junior at Bend Senior High School, explains that he has seen many of his classmates use ChatGPT to write essays and answer questions on assignments. 

“I’ve played around with it (ChatGPT), and I would use it too, but I’m scared my teachers are going to find a way to catch the people that use it,” Taylor said when asked about his usage of ChatGPT. 

Many are looking for ways to stop the misuse of the popular chatbot. BBC News Reports that Edward Tian, a 22-year-old computer science major at Princeton University, has been working on an app to detect if text has been written using the ChatGPT software. The creators of ChatGPT have also mentioned they’re looking for ways to detect misuse. 

Detecting misuse may be easier than you might think. Jenny Brown, a Social Studies teacher at Caldera High School has a solution.

“We teachers still know when written work doesn’t sound like it came from one of our students… ChatGPT doesn’t have the typical style, sentence structure and grammar errors that we see in our students’ typical written work,” Brown said.

Less than a week after ChatGPT-3’s release, it had already amassed over one million users. ChatGPT is an interesting look into the future of AI and a preview to the services ChatGPT-4 will provide, which, while still unconfirmed, are anticipated to release sometime in 2023.

The post The New Trend: Cheating with AI appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.