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Portola Pilot

The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot

The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot

Junior Giselle Lu performs her last solo piece in her synchronized swimming career in Guangdong’s state competition in August 2020. Lu swims to Two Steps From Hell’s “Archangel,” and it took many months to master the solo routine. After Lu received 0 points in one of her figures, Lu said she was unmotivated to compete in the solo event because she thought she could not make up for the mistake. “I think the story of this piece defines and represents the art of synchronized swimming — the perfect combination of strength and grace,” Lu said. “It shows that women can be both beautiful but still have their own masculine side.”

China’s National Synchronized Swimmer Giselle Lu Makes ‘Figures’ in Irvine

Kayleen Kim and Kelly Yeh | January 10, 2024

Eight years ago in China, junior Giselle Lu watched China’s national synchronized swimming team on the local news. After being inspired by their graceful and fluid yet rapid and calculated movements,...

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S4 Episode 02: Letters of Recommendation from Teachers’ POVs

Stephanie Hwang and Elise Ngo | January 9, 2024

Many students find themselves confused as they begin to navigate the letter of recommendation process. In this episode, our hosts Elise Ngo and Stephanie Hwang discuss this process with social studies...

Environmental legislation that directly affects individuals can teach students crucial life skills that can help them with decision-making not only in the environmental sector but also their day-to-day lives.

Environmental Legislation Awareness Opens Doors for Students’ Futures

Mary Lee, Staff Writer | January 9, 2024

The City of Irvine halted a single-use plastics ban proposal on Nov. 28 which would prohibit these items in food and retail services if enacted, according to the OC Register.  This recent ordinance...

Rather than give in to the knee-jerk impulse to “flesh out” antagonists through tragic backstories, authors should focus on other aspects of their villainous characters. “The background story is just the background board,” sophomore and fiction lover Anyu Zhang said. “The character’s personality and performance are the most important.”

Unveiling the Untold Power of Villainy: Why a Tragic Backstory Is Not Needed

Claire Chan and Marianne Chan | January 9, 2024

So you’ve devised a villain character, but you don’t know what propels them. What do you do then? Most authors tend to take the tragic backstory approach, but a tragic backstory is not a necessary...

Senior and senior patrol leader Vish Satuloori stands on a lunch table to give his fellow scout members instructions for their upcoming volunteering activity.

Seniors Ashwin Goel and Vish Satuloori Lead Irvine Troop 622

Michael Sun, Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor | January 8, 2024

What makes a Boy Scout? The prototypical Boy Scout that comes to mind cleans beaches, ties knots and starts fire from sticks. But Ashwin Goel and Vish Satuloori, both senior patrol leaders (SPLs)...

Sophomore Suhrith Muvvala and junior Matthew Lin celebrate their first place win in the Ecology event at the awards ceremony of the Wolfpack Invitational. Team A and Team B took first and second place in the event, respectively.

Science Olympiad ‘Writes It and Does It’ at the Wolfpack Invitational

Catherine Li and Ruhi Samudra | December 22, 2023

Science Olympiad placed fifth in their first competition of the season at the Wolfpack Invitational, which took place at Great Oak High on Dec. 16. Competing against 26 other teams from across Southern...

English teacher and track coach Cale Kavanaugh who plays Ken was able to embrace a new side of him during this performance and performed prior to Treblemakers “I’m Just Ken”. “My other favorite scene was when I got to steal the presents from Santa, and I accidentally took a couple steps too early,” Kavanaugh said. “I decided to go with it and escalate the moment and make Ken grab Santa by the collar as he was stealing the presents and that was really fun.”

Barbie-tastic ‘Spirit of the Season’ Concert Captivates Audience with its Iconic Dance Moves and Jolly Spirit

Nina Krish, Staff Writer | December 21, 2023

Barbie, Ken, Buddy the elf and Santa lit up the performing arts center as Portola High choir members performed in “The Spirit of the Season '' annual concert held on Dec. 15. The Barbie-themed concert...

Although the stream of assessments may seem endless as 2023 comes to a close, students should become more aware of the stress teachers face. This new perspective can help students take steps to alleviate the pressure on educators’ shoulders and potentially abate the amount of pressure they face during exam season.

You Are Not Alone: Teachers Feel Stressed During Finals Too

Mary Lee, Staff Writer | December 20, 2023

Before the semester officially ends in January, the weeks leading up to finals are packed: students urgently prepare for their cumulative or unit exams and grade-based anxiety is nearly tangible in the...

Despite the 2023 SAG-AFTRA writers’ strike, Hollywood did not fail to deliver a sleigh full of enchanting new holiday films, ensuring that the magic of the season lit up screens with warmth.

‘Snow’ Thank You to These New Christmas Movies

Maitri Allani and Alice Ahn | December 20, 2023

It is the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas time. Studios push out new movies so often that you can find a Christmas movie with any plot imaginable. Considering these holiday films’ overwhelming...

Instead of using Elf on the Shelf as a holiday tradition that constantly watches children, parents should instead teach children the value of kindness and good behavior without attaching it to a creepy elf. “I think in general, you need to convince kids to have integrity themselves, rather than using some device to kind of manipulate them into that,” sophomore Tristan Kim said.

Unveiling the Darker Side of Elf on the Shelf

Sonia Wang and Aditi Salunkhe | December 19, 2023

Telling kids that they are constantly under surveillance and cannot escape the creepy gaze of a home intruder is usually the script of a poorly written 90s horror movie.  Well, guess what happens every...

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