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Elon Musk helps students in MI charter school get access to Chromebooks

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Woodland Park Academy, a school in Grand Blanc, MI, will soon be issuing Chromebooks for all its students in the second to eighth grade level. The purchase of the personal cloud-based computers is being funded by a donation from Elon Musk, courtesy of the Musk Foundation.

News of the little-known donation was announced earlier this week, with Woodland Park Academy expressing its gratitude to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO on its official Twitter account. The MI school noted that it was connected to the Musk Foundation through the efforts of young activist Mari Copeny, who has been in touch with Musk as they attempt to help Flint in its ongoing water crisis.

Woodland Park Academy is a charter school authorized by Central Michigan University. Charter schools are noted for being public schools of choice, which means that families choose them for their children. These types of schools operate with a certain degree of freedom from some regulations that are imposed on district schools, though they traditionally receive less funding from the government. As such, donations such as those given by the Musk Foundation are greatly appreciated.

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Woodland Park Academy, which caters to students from the Kindergarten level all the way up to Grade 8, has around 400 students to date. Considering that Elon Musk’s donation will give Chromebooks to every student in the second to eighth grade, it appears that the majority of the school’s students would be benefiting from the CEO’s donation.

While Chromebooks are mainly cloud-based devices that rely on the internet to function at their best, the computers have become increasingly popular in United States classrooms. Over the years, Google, which develops the devices’ ChromeOS operating system (an OS completely built around the Google Chrome browser), has been developing solutions and functionalities that are specifically geared for the educational sector. Coupled with the devices’ traditionally low cost and easy maintenance, Chromebooks are steadily becoming America’s computer of choice for schools. In 2017 alone, Chromebooks made up 60% of mobile device purchases by K-12 schools in the US.

Elon Musk’s donation to fund Woodland Park Academy’s Chromebooks were announced by the school not long after it was revealed that the Musk Foundation had donated $480,000 to Flint Community Schools. The nearly half-a-million-dollar donation will be used to install ultraviolet water filtration systems for all 12 school buildings in Flint, as well as the district’s administration building. In a later Twitter post, Musk noted that he hopes he could do more to help in the future.

Elon Musk’s humanitarian activities in Flint were sparked in July after the CEO noted that he would be helping residents in the MI city get access to clean water. Musk has since remained quiet about his initiatives to aid the embattled MI city, though social media updates from Copeny, better known as Little Miss Flint, as well as residents in the area, reveal that the CEO is still helping the city.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Lifestyle

Tesla Cybertruck slapped with world’s least intimidating ticket, and it’s pure cringe

One cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of these babies.

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Credit: Ryan Torres/X

A Cybertruck parked at Stanford Shopping Center in California was recently hit with what might be the most try-hard piece of paper ever slipped under a wiper blade: a “fake citation” accusing the driver of supporting a “fascist car.” 

The note, shared on X by Tesla staff program manager Ryan Torres, quickly made the rounds on X, where it quickly gained attention as an example of how not to protest.

The world’s least intimidating ticket

According to the citation, the supposed “violation” was “driving a fascist car.” The remedial action? Take the bus, call an Uber, or ride a bike. The note also dubbed Elon Musk a “chainsaw-wielding Nazi billionaire.” Now, protests against Tesla and Elon Musk have become commonplace this year, but one cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of fake anti-Tesla/Musk citations.

Torres pointed out the irony himself in his post on X. Tesla currently employs over 140,000 Americans, and SpaceX has put the U.S. firmly back at the top of space technology. As Torres put it, maybe the person behind the world’s least intimidating ticket should “read a book on innovation before vandalizing” other people’s property.

Peak performative clownery

Not to mention that the fake ticket’s logic collapses under its own weight. EVs like the Cybertruck are literally designed to reduce emissions, not “destroy the economy.” If anything, Tesla has bolstered the United States’ economy by fueling jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and clean energy. It’s not the first time a Tesla has been the target of vandalism or politically charged notes, but this one stands out for sheer cringe value. 

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Torres summed it up neatly: “Peak clownery.” On that point, at least, the citation earns full marks. In a way, though, perhaps cringe fake tickets are not as bad as the literal firebombs that were being thrown at Tesla stores and cars earlier this year because some critics were gleefully misinformed about Elon Musk.

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Tesla brings perhaps the coolest interior feature to cars in latest update

Tesla adds on to the “fun” aspect of its vehicles.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has brought perhaps the coolest interior feature to its cars in a new update that is rolling out to vehicles now.

The feature will require a newer vehicle that has interior ambient lighting, which is present on the new Model S, Model X, Model 3 “Highland,” and Model Y “Juniper.” The Cybertruck also has ambient lighting strips throughout.

Tesla Model Y’s ambient lighting design changes revealed in leaked video

With the Version 2025.26+ Software Update, Tesla is rolling out a new “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music” feature, which is available on the Tesla Toybox:

To enable the feature, you’ll access the Toybox, choose “Light Sync,” and then choose “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music.”

Although it does not improve the performance of the vehicle, it is yet another example of Tesla making one of the coolest cars out there. This is truly a cool add-on that can be used to impress your friends and family.

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Elon Musk

xAI, Musk Foundation helps schools near Memphis supercomputer site

Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.

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xAI-supercomputer-memphis-environment-pushback
(Credit: xAI)

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI and the Musk Foundation have been supporting Memphis-Shelby County Schools with HVAC repairs and facility upgrades, while also funding youth programs for students in the area. 

Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.

xAI’s school visits lead to facility repairs

Representatives from xAI visited John P. Freeman Optional School, Fairley High School, and Westwood High School, all of which are located near its Colossus supercomputer site, to assess HVAC systems, plumbing, gym facilities, and athletic fields. The visits resulted in a list of priority repairs, some of which were completed in April and May.

In addition to the repairs, xAI also shared a number of initiatives that are planned for students in the area, as stated in a Commercial Appeal report.

“xAI is working on providing STEM workshops for local students, donating equipment to technical training programs, and supporting job fairs to boost employment opportunities. These initiatives reflect xAl’s commitment to fostering education and economic growth in Memphis,” xAI noted in a statement.

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Musk Foundation donation

Apart from xAI, the Musk Foundation also donated $350,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, enabling the reopening of two club sites located at Booker T. Washington High School and Westwood High School. Both locations had closed earlier this year due to lapses in funding. As per xAI, the Musk Foundation’s donation allows clubs to reopen for almost 1,000 students. 

The donation will fund staffing, supplies, and transportation, among others. “Kids are the future of humanity,” Elon Musk said in a statement, adding that students need “every chance to shoot for the stars.”

“We’re honored to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis in reopening these sites, giving kids in underserved communities the tools to build brighter futures,” Musk said.

The gift was praised by local officials, including Boys & Girls Clubs board chair Michael Garriga, who stated that the “commitment will ensure the youth of our community have the opportunities they need to develop their skills and talents to become successful students and future citizens.”

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