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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

Symphonic Orchestra unites with Portola Singers on stage to perform George Frideric Handel’s “Sinfonia” and “For Unto Us A Child Is Born.” “[Choir] had invited us to play at their concert last week, and so this is sort of a reciprocal thing where they’re going to come and sing with us at our concert,” instrumental music teacher Desmond Stevens said.

Annual Winter Instrumental Concert Sweetens Holiday Cheer

Arnav Chandan, Staff Writer | January 5, 2022

The theater lights dim as the soft, soothing tunes of the ensembles replace the stillness of the audience,  engulfing the theater in mystery and wonder. What could possibly be sweeter than starting the...

Marisa Wilkerson stands in front of the U.S. Capitol Building during 2017 when she moved to Washington, D.C. for her internship with an interest group during college.

Social Studies Teacher Turns Political Advocacy to Teaching Political Literacy

Bia Shok, Co-News Editor | January 3, 2022

What images do you think of when thinking of the word “politics”? For many, it could be juxtaposing images of colliding reds and blues, yelling, arguing and mudslinging campaign videos cycling around...

Portobellas choir performs an a cappella rendition of “Carol of the Bells” by Pentatonix. An a cappella performance is a special type of polyphonic singing that does not involve any musical accompaniment.

Choir Students Upraise the ‘Spirit of the Season’ in Annual Winter Vocal Concert

Arnav Chandan and Aadi Mehta | December 16, 2021

Students, parents and teachers cluster closely with one another outside the front entrance of the theater, merrily cheering and singing along as performers conduct special caroling performances of jovial...

Attracting many students to the lunch performance event in the beginning of lunch, ASB president and senior Amitoj Singh sings “thank you, next” by Ariana Grande. He sings while the orchestra, band, and choir members get set up to perform right after.

Fine Arts Lunch Performance ‘Rapped’ up the Semester with Holiday Tunes

Kayleen Kim and Ryan Jung | December 16, 2021

Choir and orchestra ensembles played holiday and pop tunes at the lunchtime fine arts performance on Dec. 10 in front of the dance building, offering a sneak peek of the ‘Spirit of the Seasons’...

Various students across all dance classes performed “Don’t Call Me Back” to the song “These Boys Ain’t It” by Saygrace, which included themes of female empowerment.

Annual Winter Dance Concert ‘Breaking the Ice’ Leaves Audiences in Shivers

Cara Chan and Arshia Sista | December 15, 2021

After dance concerts were put on pause — or some might say, frozen — due to COVID-19, the dance program featured its third annual winter concert “Breaking the Ice” on Dec. 2-3. The concert...

Freshman Mourya Nunna applies fertilizer to an orange tree while volunteering at Farm and Food Lab on Oct. 6. Farm and Food Lab club members bond and cooperate under the supervision of executive director of Farm and Food Lab at Great Park Nathan Gipple.

The Farm and Food Lab Club Cultivates Passion for Farming

Martin Yoon, Staff Writer | December 10, 2021

Baseball caps on, a garden hose to their left and buckets of fertilizer to their right, freshmen plod back to the rows of orange trees, squinting from the sunshine. The Farm and Food Lab Club holds...

Long-term math substitute teacher Eugene Hung (right) was a featured panelist at the KPCC panel in May 2018 where he discussed the impact of the #MeToo movement on faith communities. In addition to his work as a speaker, Hung has written for various faith-based and secular publications, such as the Huffington Post, Sojourners, Red Letter Christians and Christians for Biblical Equality.

Shattering the Silence

Claudia Lin and Kayla Moshayedi | December 9, 2021

Content warning: This article contains information on domestic violence and sexual assault. Silence engulfs the crowded auditorium at the 2019 Christians for Biblical Equality International Conference...

Larger papers overshadow local ones and, in response, many local papers end up disappearing or becoming what is known as “ghost newspapers:” publications whose staff is so small that it becomes nearly impossible to publish articles regularly.

Breaking News: Read your Local Newspaper

Charlotte Cao, Features Editor | December 8, 2021

Tucked into the corner of my bedroom is a bookshelf engulfed by a pile of newspapers. The heady scent of fresh ink has worn off. Their slightly-perforated edges have curled, despite careful handling.  Over...

Choir student teacher Nina Crecia conducts Cantabella choir at the “Homeward Bound” choir concert on Oct. 15. In the future, Crecia said she hopes to cultivate a program for high school students titled “Every Choir Should Have a Song,” inviting students to share why they joined choir and their passion for singing.

From Children’s Story to Classical Stage: Choir Student Teacher Nina Crecia Composes Opera Based on ‘The Little Prince’

Charlotte Cao and Claudia Lin | December 7, 2021

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye," writes Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in his beloved novel “The Little Prince.”  If love affords sight,...

Youth are often not held completely responsible for their crimes, especially first degree felonies like homicide and sexual offenses. The number of juveniles receiving a life sentence without parole dropped 6% even though the number of serious youth crimes increased by 13% within the past five years, according to New York Times.

Setting a Standard: Trying Juveniles for First-Degree Assaults

Dheeksha Bhima Reddy and Arnav Chandan | December 6, 2021

Children are often taught from an early age that actions have consequences, yet our current justice system fails to establish this principle. By treating violent juvenile offenders with disproportionate...

15. Coat the top of your cake with the cake crumbles. You can also decorate your cake with any leftover whipping cream you might have. Enjoy your sweet potato cake!

A Korean Sweet Potato Cake Recipe to Spice up Your Fall

Celine Lee, Co-News Editor | December 1, 2021

Korean sweet potato cake, or “Goguma cake” in Korean, is a layered cake with sweet potato filling and whipped cream. In contrast with American sweet potato cakes, Korean sweet potato cakes are...

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