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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

 The Pride of Portola placed third overall in Division 4a with a score of 79.725. “I honestly think that the performance was, overall, the best performance I’ve ever been a part of in my whole band career; the energy and the audience’s reaction really made me proud of our show production,” assistant drum major and senior Seira Homma said. “I had to make that the best that we’ve ever done, and also, as a leader, set an example for the others to follow. It’s our last-ever performance. It was my last-ever performance. And, you know, the other students have next year and more. But it was my last performance as a senior. It’s kind of sad. I still can’t believe that it’s over.”

Pride of Portola Takes Final Bow at Last Competition of the Season

Lauren Hsu, Opinion Editor | November 16, 2021

The Pride of Portola scores third place in its Nov. 6 competition at San Clemente High with show ‘Scenes from Portola.’

An FBI spy attended meetings and prayers at the Islamic Center of Irvine to identify potential terrorists, according to ABC News. “I can still confidently walk into a mosque and still confidently pray,” Muslim Student Association co-vice president and senior Abdallah Fares said. “Knowing that in the end we can protect ourselves, whether it's through the legal system, whether simply just through our own confidence or our own pride in our religion.”

Orange County Muslim Americans Ask the Supreme Court to Allow Lawsuit Against The FBI

Sidra Asif, Staff Writer | November 16, 2021

Muslim Americans Yassir Fazaga, Ali Uddin Malik and Yasser Abdelrahim asked the Supreme Court on Nov. 8 to allow for a religious discrimination lawsuit against the FBI after members of the Islamic...

Running back and linebacker and senior Nova Kebelli tries to loosen the grasp of the opposing teammate as he tries to be in an open position to receive plays. Coming back to a more typical season after an unconventional year, head football coach Peter Abe gave advice for future seasons. “You should come out here and enjoy all the benefits high school athletics can provide for you,” Abe said. “And because of that and great high school programs, you are also going to become a better person in the process. So live it up, enjoy all of that. Your only job is to be a good person, be a good student and have a whole lot of fun while you're still a minor.”

CIF Football Game Results in Bulldog Loss After Strong 7-3 Season Standing

Bia Shok, Co-News Editor | November 15, 2021

The Bulldogs (7-3) lost 21-42 against Colony High in the stadium, ending their season on Nov. 5. The match was their first CIF round, which they had qualified for as a wild card team. While 215 teams...

S2 Episode 01: Giving Thanks: What Does Gratitude Mean to You?

S2 Episode 01: Giving Thanks: What Does Gratitude Mean to You?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3yCnXXQBbmXSFcRDP2vENH?si=35ea915c72364c44 The Portola Pioneer is the official news and culture podcast of the Portola Pilot, aiming to foster a sense of community and...

Sophomore Jack Kendig sings “Sleigh Ride” composed by Leroy Anderson in preparations for the winter concert. The Treblemakers chose to keep their music a secret while preparing for the concert.

First All-Male Choir Stands up to Any Treble

Arshia Sista, Staff Writer | November 12, 2021

This year, the harmonious group of men from all grades came together to make a mark on the visual and performing department as they established the school’s first-ever tenor and bass all-male choir:...

Student Choreographers ‘Break the Ice’ In Preparation For Winter Dance Concert

Arnav Chandan, Staff Writer | November 10, 2021

The studio fills with a chaotic blend of music as dancers split off, merging together into small groups. They drift throughout campus, finding space in the studio, stage and outside to practice. Shifting...

Sophomores Daniella Shao and Rory Miller, seniors Puneet Singh and Abigail Kwon and sophomores Kapil Ramasubramanian, Kody Lin, Mathias Lee and Nithila Francis are among the fourteen chosen for the Southern California Regional Honor Choir. Some of the songs they will perform include “The Garden of Love '' and “Cantate Domino” along with their fellow honor choir participants.

Choir Students Shine in the Spotlight of the Southern California Regional Honor Choir

Tara Vatandoust, Staff Writer | November 9, 2021

Fourteen students were chosen to perform for the Southern California Regional Honor Choir, the most students from any high school in all of Southern California and a historic first for Portola High,...

To conclude the Student Advisory Board on Education conference, delegates worked on electing the next student board member, a high school senior who sits on the State Board of Education as its seventh member. Each year, SABE hosts an election process that narrows down 12 semi-finalists to the top six, and after, the SBE reduces it to one, according to Tesoro High senior Stephanie Hu.

Student Advisory Board on Education Conference Develops Policy Proposals for State Board of Education

Claudia Lin | November 9, 2021

The California Association of Student Councils hosted 58 delegates and 19 staff at its annual Student Advisory Board on Education conference via Zoom from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. At the conference, delegates,...

Green shrubbery has re-emerged onto the landscape of Limestone Canyon Regional Park, although the charred remains of some plants are still visible. “Everything is coming back now, and I can see that there's visibly more growth,” sophomore Justin Yi said after doing environmental volunteer work with the Irvine Korean Parents Association & Volunteer Committee. “You can see Mother Nature letting everything grow back a year after the fire.”

One Year After the Silverado Fire, What Has Changed?

Tyler Kim, Staff Writer | November 8, 2021

The Silverado Fire, which burned 13,390 acres northeast of Irvine and forced the evacuation of 130,000 people, achieved 100% containment one year ago on Nov. 7. Since then various changes have occurred...

When the murder (Roman) is revealed to the audience, she stops to talk to the dead body about her plan all along. To help prepare for the performance, the rehearsals took three weeks and they would start memorizing lines and choosing the characters through an audition process.

First Dinner-Theatre Performance Serves a Perfect Blend of Comedy and Mystery

Arshia Sista, Staff Writer | November 4, 2021

Junior Sissy Wynn directed this year’s fall play, Bill Hand's "Murder on the Menu," after drama teacher Samantha Sanford introduced the idea of the play. This show was the VAPA department’s first...

Lion-Dragon Dancers performed at the Irvine Global Village Festival on Oct. 9. Pictured are the dancers and four lion heads, which can weigh as much as 15 to 20 pounds (depending on the amount of ornaments), according to sophomore Deko Hsiao.

Students Bring History to Life through Dragon and Lion Dancing

Erin Choi and Grace Baek | November 3, 2021

Two thousand years ago in Han Dynasty China, early forms of the dragon dance emerged. Different colored dragons were considered auspicious for different events — for rain, for harvest, for fertile lands. At...

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