The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
As the school year progresses, the Badminton club looks for ways to get people more involved. “During club meetings, we will try to plan events [that have] fun activities for the students to do,” Xu said. “So currently, we're just letting them have fun and just hang out with their friends, but we're trying to make a competitive team in this school.”

Racket Report: Badminton Club Kicks Off at Portola

Tamara Bradley and Nicole Ferguson | October 3, 2025

The Badminton Club begins its journey to make a place for itself at Portola High. As a less popular sport in the U.S. and a sport that is not offered in IUSD, the club serves as an outlet for badminton...

Interim SRO Justin Russell looks forward to bringing safety and security to Portola High. “There’s a lot of different things that happen on high school campuses,” Russell said. “If I can help mitigate some of those issues or some of those crises, whether be the counseling staff or the mental health staff or provide additional resources through the police department or anything like that, then I want to be kind of a gateway to helping get those problems solved.”

Supporting Students and Keeping them Safe: Meet Interim Student Resource Officer Justin Russell

Mary Lee, Managing Editor | October 2, 2025

Overseeing Portola High, you may have seen this year an uniformed officer standing on the second floor and scanning the campus. Meet 21-year member of the Irvine Police Department and the new interim Student...

Kashvi Logu is presented with the USA Biology Olympiad national finalist award. “It was a great opportunity to get that award and finally say that I’ve succeeded,” Logu said.

Kashvi Logu Represents Portola High as Finalist in USA Biology Olympiad

Jinseo Hong, Centerspread Editor | September 30, 2025

For senior Kashvi Logu, her passion and dedication to biology made her dream of becoming a USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) finalist a reality. Logu’s interest in biology sparked from childhood experiences....

Jake Mendez plays lead guitar for his band, “Devout,” at the Remington x James set at a Santa Ana residents’ backyard on September 17th, 2025, “Gotta keep everyone united in order to make a difference.”

A Guide to Forming Your First Band: From Garage to Greatness

Sammy Marcus and Zoha Syed | September 30, 2025

Only two things are affirmed in the pursuit of rockstardom: garage bands and upset neighbors. Choose your Instrument  You’ve caught a volatile new passion, a fire pushing you to join a band...

Varsity runner and sophomore Azra Gercek breaks her Personal Record (PR) at the Annual Woodridge Cross Country Classic by over a minute, placing fifth overall at the invitational.

Cross Country Breaks Records at Annual Woodbridge Classic Invitational

Nora Aljazzar, Assistant News Editor | September 29, 2025

Girls Cross Country broke several Personal Records (PR) and Season Records (SR) during the Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic on Sept. 20. Overall, there were 14 PR and SRs achieved for Portola High...

Freshman Lisa Li tees off at hole 7. “I’m currently working on fixing my swing to hit consistent straight shots and I’m excited to see how much I can improve in the upcoming rounds,” Li said.

Portola Girls Golf Wins Tight Match Against University High

Katelyn Wong, Staff Writer | September 29, 2025

Girls Golf secured a tight win against University High with a score of 210-209 on Sept. 17 at their home range in Rancho San Joaquin. Their next match will be an away game on Oct. 25 against University...

Portola High’s assistant cafeteria lead Keri O’Melveny works the register at Portola High’s mini cafeteria, located underneath the 1000s building. “Being at Woodbury for all those years and now being at Portola, I have all those kids back, and so it's so exciting to see them grown up,” Prunty said. “Just building relationships with the kids is really special to me.”

Portola High’s Cafeteria Staff Serve Students With Dedication

Nicole Lu and Nicole Ferguson | September 26, 2025

Everyday, students pack the cafeteria for a quick bite before class or for a filling lunch at noon. Behind the scenes, Portola High cafeteria staff pour hours of work into ensuring that meals are both...

Boys varsity lacrosse coach and physics teacher Matthew Pantalon works with athletes to develop proper shooting form and cradling techniques. “I've loved getting to know the team,” Pantalon said. “When we've been able to get a good turnout at practice, it's been fantastic.”

New Coaches Prepare to Take the Field at Portola High

Mary Lee and Riya Chandan | September 26, 2025

As the Portola High athletic departments grow, new coaches are appointed each year to help athletes across campus improve both on the field and beyond. This school year, two of the new coaches include...

Irvine Food Security Volunteers unload boxes for food distribution day. “We have volunteers who are coming out and engaging with community members,” Event overseer Mackenzie Walters said. “We have real conversations with people receiving food boxes, and they’re just so appreciative.”

When Community Comes Together: Irvine Volunteers Tackle Hunger With Food Security Program

Leon Tak, Staff Writer | September 26, 2025

Volunteers for Irvine’s Food Security Program distributed 400 boxes of food to over 330 households this August in a month-long initiative at the Heritage Community Center. Since its launch in March,...

Thé Corner hosts a pop up event debuting their newest menu item, a mango coconut matcha latte. "We are a matcha and coffee cart,” Thé Corner founder and Portola High alumni Noah Suhr said. “We sell ceremonial grade matcha. We have established an agreement with a farm in Japan, in Kagoshima. We source our beans from a roaster in Indiana called Utopian Coffee. We also source a different type of Vietnamese coffee from a farm that one of my business partners is actually friends with back in Vietnam."

Portola High Alumni Noah Suhr ‘Brews’ Up Business in ‘Thé Corner’ of Southern California

Mason Truong, Staff Writer | September 24, 2025

Fueled by a shared passion for cafe culture, 2024 Portola High graduate Noah Suhr and his friends turned their dreams into reality three months ago when they launched their coffee business "Thé Corner,"...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has gained a stunning amount of traction on X, garnering 480 million views in August alone. “At least in my experience with political science, there's a correlation between people who consume political media and people who actually vote,” Social Studies Department Chair Jon Resendez said. “So, I think what you're getting is a not insignificant percentage of the actual voting population to see your media, and that feedback loop is going to continue to inspire him and his team.”

Gavin Newsom’s New Press Strategy Is Certainly “News-Some”

Claire Liu and Stephanie Hwang | September 23, 2025

In the last two months, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office has embraced a bold social media strategy. From the all-caps letters to the syntax, it is a clear mirror of President Donald Trump’s...

As college admissions become increasingly competitive, students are pressured to be involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible. Oftentimes, students will create and join clubs not out of passion, but for the purpose of building their resume.

Club Culture at Portola High Raises Questions About Prestige Over Passion

Annie Xiao, Assistant Features Editor | September 23, 2025

With college admissions becoming increasingly selective, the pressure to be involved in as many extracurriculars as possible rises. Among these activities, creating a club has been viewed as a one-way...

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