Drone Team Pleasant Valley School District Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania

Pleasant Valley Drone Team Where do we begin? It all began with a drone purchased through a grant. What started out as a simple exploration in drone technology quickly grew into a school wide program. This presentation will outline the process which we developed in coordination with: teachers, students, administrators, PIAA, FAA, and Drone Pilot Ground School.

DJI Drones The program has acquired 5 DJI drones: 2 – Phantom 3 1 – Mavic Pro 2 – Mavic Air All 5 drones are registered with the school and the Federal Aviation Administration. (FAA registration #s visible on SUAs)

Drone Insurance Policy FIRST THINGS FIRST - Understand liability! Flight mishaps Data storage Property damage Hull damage We added our registered drones to our liability policy.

Partnership with Drone Pilot Ground School Connecting Pleasant Valley High School with Drone Pilot Ground School became invaluable during our drone program development.

Drone Pilot Ground School Scholarship Program Drone Pilot Ground School is an online test prep course that helps students pass the FAA Aeronautical Knowledge Test for a Remote Pilot Certificate. The online format is ideal for busy high school students. Every students applied for the DPGS STEM Scholarship, which covers the cost of their enrollment. The entire process is free for students.

Student Application

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has a drone policy in place. We contacted PIAA to confirm that our protocols were in-line with their policy.

PV DRONE ZONES In coordination with our Athletic Director and PIAA we are in the process of establishing “Drone Zones”. Drone zones will be established areas throughout school property where drones can be operated. The goal is to be able to photograph and video outside events on school property without violating policy. The next step is to present all of this to the School Board for approval.

School Board sUAS Policy Draft

Drone Team Protocols Students are developing a flight operations mobile app for safety and documentation.

Nathan B. Nathan has been building and racing his own drones since early high school. “I believe all pilots—even drone pilots, like me—have a love for speed and adventure. It was that love that first led me to build my drone; yet as time passed, a switch—not so unlike the inner workings of a plane or drone—flipped somewhere inside me. I realized that flying meant much more to me than just traveling out to an open field and ripping around for a quick fix of adrenaline and a good time. I learned that flying exists not only as a platform to express, challenge, and better myself but also as a means of showcasing to both younger and older generations the beauty of technology and engineering.” — Nathan B.

Henry L. Henry is an 18 year old senior at Pleasant Valley High School. His many interests include piano, golf, and filmmaking. In recent years, Henry has been drawn to the many opportunities that drones could offer, both as a filmmaking tool and as an educational platform. By partnering with his AP Computer Science teacher, Mr. Boudman, Henry has learned many new avenues of creative expression, including shooting a video while using his DJI Phantom 4 as a handheld camera. He intends to attend college to study psychology and music.

Yesha B. “Being in a household with lots of technology, I quickly became interested in drones. I learned about drones when I saw many videos capturing beautiful aerial shots of landscapes and unexplored terrain. I started flying different types of drones including DJI Phantom Pro3. I used my drone images for videos and I hope to employ my skills to help others in the entertainment industry or in geographic fields in future.” — Yesha B.

William C. Will is a very active member of the drone team. He hopes to fly drones for the US Military, and he has his mind set on West Point Military Academy.

Aurora C. As a sophomore Aurora is the youngest member of our drone team. She is very excited to be flying drones. One of her dreams is to introduce this technology to elementary and middle school students.

George Boudman, PV Drone Team Advisor The concept of combining two of my adventures, flying and photography, drives me to explore the concept of adding drone technology to the high school art curriculum and to my personal portfolio. George.Boudman@gmail.com