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

Identifying burnout is the first step to stopping it. Lacking the energy to be consistently productive, becoming cynical or critical around peers and lack of satisfaction from accomplishments are common symptoms of burnout, according to the Mayo Clinic. Students who hold themselves to high standards are at even higher risk of burnout, even when academics may not be in play.

Stopping the Cycle of Burnout Requires Objective Thinking

Michael Sun, Staff Writer | May 15, 2023

“Yeah, I pulled an all-nighter for that math test.” “Wow, you’re such a hard worker!” Every day around campus, these conversations perpetuate the cycle of student burnout. “Grades...

Disney officially announced the release of a live action remake of the beloved animated film “Moana” (2016) on April 3. Other remakes currently slated for release are “The Little Mermaid,” “Snow White” and “Lilo & Stitch.”

Disney’s Penchant for Remakes Loses the Magic of Traditional Animation

Arnav Chandan and Tara Vatandoust | May 12, 2023

In the past decade, the Walt Disney Company has produced 15 live action remakes of its beloved animated films, such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “Peter Pan,” according to the Disney website. With another...

Bottom (Sloan) gestures with his lamp to the other mechanicals named Starveling (junior Kody Lin), Snug (senior Kiara Knight), Snout (senior Jia Narielwala) and Francis Flute (Shin) as they watch intensely with curiosity and confusion.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Enacts the Classical Love Triangle With a Magic Twist

Gwyneth Yung, Photo Editor | May 10, 2023

“A Midsummer Night's Dream” enchanted audiences with its production on April 27-28 in the theater.  Set in Athens, Greece, the William Shakespeare classic combines comedy with tragedy by exploring...

Senior Molly Lamon-Paredes listens to senior Katherine Martinez while they sit together during lunch, going over the reinforcement list, a method of positive behavioral reinforcement for those with disabilities.

Senior Katherine Martinez Advocates for the Disability Community

Kayleen Kim, Opinion Editor | May 9, 2023

Every morning, senior Katherine Martinez encourages senior Molly Lamon-Paredes, a student with autism, to go on a walk around campus to pump up Lamon-Paredes’ day. Martinez's drive to connect with Lamon-Paredes...

Senior Philip Li created the piece “The Great Whale Fall” with acrylic on wood for his portfolio application to the Rhode Island School of Design. Li incorporated complementary colors orange and blue and created contrast using whales and bananas, according to Li. “‘The Great Whale Fall’ is my first foray into surrealism and symbolism, incorporating a range of elements and ideas,” Li said. “I broke the conventional purpose of grids by making them part of the art itself to represent the flowing time.”

With Acrylic and Denim, Seniors Philip Li and Zixuan Zhang Head to Art School

Sonia Wang, Staff Writer | May 5, 2023

For students going to art school, AP Studio with visual arts teacher Kearci Thompson is the perfect place to be. Students going to art school such as seniors Philip Li and Zixuan Zhang are able to...

Seniors Elizabeth Bank, Sydney Badescu and Aryan Mittal showcase their passion projects based on their personal and academic interests. Over the course of the 2022-23 school year, they developed and refined their projects. “It was a lot of fun to have the opportunity to do something purely for fun in class and just have a project that I was really excited to work on,” Badescu said.

Senioritis? Not for These Seniors who are Pursuing Their Passion Projects

Mia Jong and Ruhi Samudra | May 4, 2023

Across campus, senioritis runs rampant, leading to countless lazy projects and stress for teachers. However, for seniors Sydney Badescu, Elizabeth Bank and Aryan Mittal, passion projects have allowed them...

In the months following the chatbot’s public release, ChatGPT experienced rapid growth— amassing over 100 million users from November to January. For comparison, this same feat took the popular entertainment app, TikTok, over nine months to achieve, according to Business Insider.

Reshaping Education: How Students and Schools Can Responsibly Adopt ChatGPT

Skyller Liu, Social Media Team | May 4, 2023

“ChatGPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3, is an advanced natural language processing model developed by OpenAI. With the ability to generate human-like responses and assist with writing assignments,...

Junior Haaris Alam conducts virtual research on cells and their functions in University of California, Irvine’s online program with UCI associate professor of biomedical engineering Michelle Digman. Their team has plans to meet in person soon and study at a lab on campus. During quarantine, Alam created his own DIY gel electrophoresis kits to research from the safety of his own home.

Junior Haaris Alam Explores Biomedical Engineering through UCI Internship Program

Maitri Allani and Claire Chan | May 3, 2023

Through the University of California, Irvine’s online internship program, junior Haaris Alam found his passion for biomedical engineering. What started as an opportunity for him to broaden his experience...

Senior Aiden Park painted this acrylic painting of a vintage Harley Davidson motorcycle in a parking lot. It took around 50 hours to complete, and the dimensions are 30 inches by 20 inches.

Four Students Showcase Their Art as OC Register Artists of the Year Semifinalists

Gwyneth Yung, Photo Editor | May 2, 2023

Visual and performing arts teachers chose four students as semifinalists for Orange County Register Artist of the Year on April 23. The finalists will be announced on April 30. Senior Daisy Liao was...

Senior Leena Malik and sophomore Hannah Ko compete in the varsity 100-meter hurdles event. Malik finished in second place at 17.05 seconds and Ko finished in sixth place at 17.84 seconds, both qualifying for Pacific Coast League finals.

One Hundred Sixty Track and Field Athletes Qualify for PCL Finals

Cara Chan and Dheeksha Bhima Reddy | May 2, 2023

Track and field saw the highest number of qualified athletes in the Pacific Coast League of 160 for PCL finals at the preliminary meet on the track on April 21. League finals were at the track on April...

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