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

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...

Seniors Madyson Chung-Lee and Shefali Sinha perform a cover of “Slipping Through my Fingers” by ABBA during Irvine Talks’ sixth annual event at Woodbridge High on April 15. “Our performance had a lot to do with us being able to tell our story of how we were this group of vulnerable freshmen who didnt know what we were doing,” Chung-Lee said. “And now, weve grown into seniors who now have found their passion and love of things together.”

Irvine Talks Celebrates ‘Becoming’ Through Sixth Chapter of Student Voices

Sidra Asif and Celine Lee | May 1, 2023

A large crowd murmurs in anticipation before the first piece: a speech titled “A Letter to Six-year-old Me” by Woodbridge High senior Nanami Yamakawa. The audience, including some who were part of...

Enacting sensible laws that prevent mass shooters can help reduce gun violence in the United States. California has one of the strictest gun laws in the nation, requiring a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases and thorough background checks of purchasers, and California has a gun death rate that is 37% lower than the national average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Guns are killing people. So why are we looking away?

Hannah Ko, Staff Writer | May 1, 2023

In recent years, the United States has witnessed an alarming increase in mass shootings, leading to shocked and grieving communities that struggle to make sense of the violence that has rocked their lives.  This...

Saxophonist and sophomore River Bridson performs a solo during the song “After Sunset” by Larry Neeck played by Jazz II. The jazz program is split into two groups: Jazz I, the intermediate and advanced group led by instrumental music teacher Kyle Traska, and Jazz II, the beginner and intermediate group led by instrumental music teacher Desmond Stevens.

Spaghetti under the Stars: Annual Jazz Night Concert Shines Bright

Arnav Chandan, Sports Editor | April 28, 2023

As the sun sets and the night sky emerges, intricately strung light bulbs illuminate the open-air amphitheater with a warm yellow glow. The elegant, all-black color-scheme blends seamlessly into the night...

Students Cherish the Planet on Earth Day through Eco-Friendly Activities

Students Cherish the Planet on Earth Day through Eco-Friendly Activities

Skyller Liu and Madeline Chung | April 28, 2023

Millions of Americans gathered together to honor the planet and nurture the environment, celebrating Earth Day on April 22. Among these individuals were some Portola High students who made efforts...

Sophomore Mateo Allen-Aguirre gets ready for a speed workout by running 50 meter strides and doing drills to warm up his body. “My aspiration is mainly to see how hard I can push myself both mentally and physically to attain a level of commitment that is uncommon,” Allen-Aguirre said.

Sophomore Mateo Allen-Aguirre Races to New School Records in Track

Aditi Salunkhe | April 28, 2023

With adrenaline coursing through his veins, sophomore Mateo Allen-Aguirre sprints down the last 100 meter stretch of the track, passing two other runners to win the 1600 meter race. As he collapses on...

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