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
Making offensive jokes and categorizing them as dark humor opens the gate for stereotypes and false generalizations that diminish certain groups. “If you're Jewish or you're Asian or you're LGBTQ or you're a woman, you know, there's all kinds of stereotypes in these ways that if you joke about them, it opens up the possibility of people from other groups joking about them” social studies teacher Veronica Grammier said.

Let’s Cut the Cord on these Comedian’s Open Microphones

Shaina Taebi, Centerspread Editor | March 3, 2023

***Content Warning: This article includes a discussion of rape culture, sexual assault, misogynistic comments, homophobia and transphobia.  Black humor, better known on social media as dark humor,...

Junior Eric Liao and senior Nora Tang sort through the mini prints sold at Night of the Arts. As Visual Arts Board president, Tang was in charge of organizing the decorations and communicating with the board to choose the layout and music. “She communicates really well with all of us, and she's just a great person overall to work with,” vice president and senior Summer Hsieh said. “She's good at making decisions that are great for the Visual Arts Board and takes care of the technical stuff such as making spreadsheets and copies.”

The Art of Leadership: Senior Nora Tang Utilizes Creativity as President of the Visual Arts Board

Mia Jong and Sonia Wang | March 3, 2023

Swift fingers rustle through a pile of colored paper as senior Nora Tang searches for an art print and simultaneously reaches for boba cups to restock open tables. As the lights flicker to illuminate a...

Junior SJ Janolkar prepares for the DECA state competition with fellow Business Club members. After winning district vice president through a lengthy application and election process, Janolkar will be inaugurated at DECA state, which takes place March 3-6.

SoCal DECA is in Good ‘Company’ with Vice President SJ Janolkar

Elise Ngo, Social Media Team | March 2, 2023

When junior SJ Janolkar transferred to Portola High in her sophomore year, she had no idea that she would soon become well-versed in creating income and cash flow statements, balance sheets and other financial...

Utility player and sophomore Maya McGuane receives a wide pass from attacker and senior Emma Amakasu and propels herself above the water to deliver a power shot at the 2-meter line during the last 2 minutes of the game. “Even towards the end when we knew we were going to lose with the giant gap and little time, we still played really hard, and we still made a bunch of plays to get one last shot off, and we never gave up, '' hole set and freshman Alexis Minasyan said.

Girls’ Water Polo’s Loss Marks the End of a Record-Breaking Streak

Hannah Ko | March 1, 2023

Girls’ water polo (19-8) concluded its win streak with a 5-7 semi finals loss against Marlborough High’s Mustangs on Feb. 15. This game marked the official end of their season for the Bulldogs. The...

Math teacher Eric Graham presents “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez to his class. Out of all the artwork Graham has seen over the years, he says that “Las Meninas” is his favorite piece because of the story and intricate details that the painting holds.

Data meets Da Vinci: A Math Teacher’s Journey into the World of Art History

Arnav Chandan, Sports Editor | February 28, 2023

The soft glow of natural light pours into the eerie chamber, as the deep, somber shadows begin their retreat to the outskirts of the room. In the center stands a small girl, lost in her own world, surrounded...

Junior SJ Janolkar won two first place awards for hospitality and tourism. Students from Virtual Enterprise and Empower Entrepreneurship classes participated in the 2023 southern section leadership conference in Valencia.

Virtual Entrepreneurship Classes Compete in First-Ever FBLA Competition

Gwyneth Yung, Staff Writer | February 27, 2023

Fourty-four students from Virtual Enterprise and Empower Entrepreneurship classes participated in their first-ever Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competition on Feb. 11 at Valencia High. Junior...

Junior Gabby Sarabosing eats sweets in Sofia, Bulgaria with her grandfather, grandmother and twin sister in 2017, six years before her grandfather was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. According to Sarabosing, she has not visited Bulgaria since, but her mother went there to see her grandfather for two weeks in January. “My mom, even when she was in Bulgaria, was like, ‘I don’t want to send you pictures of him because you’re going to be so scared,’” Sarbaosing said. “‘He’s so different.’ So It’s just hard seeing him.”

Two Families who Are Fighting Cancer this National Cancer Prevention Month

Maya Tedini, Staff Writer | February 27, 2023

Fifty-four percent of Americans say cancer has affected their family in some way, according to a 2017 poll by CBS. In light of February’s designation as National Cancer Prevention Month, two students...

Online personalities have skyrocketed to success by streaming chess as an esport, particularly on the streaming platform Twitch. Most recently, “Mittens” — an interactive bot with a supposed ELO rating of 1 launched by chess.com in January — garnered the sport of chess new fans. In particular, the character’s tongue-in-cheek references to internet meme culture and appearances in humorous streams from leading chess personalities such as GothamChess and Hikaru Nakamura resulted in increased online attention to the sport.

Return of the King, Queen, Bishop and Rook: Explaining the Resurgence of Chess

Tyler Kim | February 23, 2023

318 billion.  That’s the theoretical total number of ways to play just the first four moves in the game of kings. For over thousands of years, some of history’s greatest minds have waged battles...

Counselor Ryan Itchon works on editing a video that will be released on the counseling department’s Instagram page. The videos will cover a wide variety of mental health topics and may include student actors in the future, according to Itchon.

Counseling Department Releases Mental Health Video Series

Skyller Liu, Social Media Team | February 21, 2023

The counseling department is producing a new series of mental health videos that will release on an ongoing basis and cover an array of topics pertaining to student stressors, needs and well-being. The...

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year and has a lot of influence on the general public (NBC). Due to the extreme prevalence of the game in pop culture, advertisers try their hardest to make the best commercials possible to grab the attention of their audience.

Super Bowl Advertisements: The Fumbles and the Scores

Maitri Allani and Claire Chan | February 16, 2023

Fans cheer in joy and sigh in disappointment. The NFL Super Bowl, one of the biggest events of the year, kicked off on Feb. 12, which means that advertisers fight over a chance to gain a spot in their...

Center midfielder and senior Yasser Mallisho scored two goals on Senior Night. “It was amazing, you know, last league game of my life,” Mallisho said. “High school’s been an amazing time starting since sophomore year in varsity, and it’s been a hell of a ride.”

Boys’ Soccer Wraps up League Season with 3-0 Senior Night win against Sage Hill

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | February 15, 2023

Boys’ soccer (8-5-4) won against Sage Hill High 3-0 on Feb. 2 in the stadium following a tie against Irvine High earlier in the week. The game started in the Bulldogs’ favor with a throw-in...

Night of the Arts and Cabaret Night Take the Stage to Kick Off Fine Arts Week

Ruhi Samudra, Staff Writer | February 14, 2023

In a magical evening of breathtaking exhibits and captivating performances, audiences made the school come alive in a celebration of students’ artistic talents. Visual arts students set up this...

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