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

A Swedish Doctor injects the Coronavirus vaccine into an AstraZeneca volunteer. The many stages of vaccine development depend on the success of previous trials.

Potential COVID-19 Vaccine is in Development

Sidra Asif, Staff Writer | September 21, 2020

AstraZeneca, a Swedish pharmaceutical company, started the third and last phase of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine clinical trial on Sept. 1. The vaccine would be administered world wide  if all trials...

According to a 2017 study published by Occupational Medicine, longer working hours are associated with depression, anxiety and sleep issues. This research helps explain why students often feel exhausted and overwhelmed after each virtual school day, in which they have few breaks and the learning is continuous.

Five Minutes Is Not Enough: Why the Distance Learning Schedule Requires More Breaks

Charlotte Cao and Aryan Mittal | September 21, 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has brought about many significant changes to Portola High, but one of the most noticeable was the transition to distance learning. The distance learning time schedule might appear...

IUSD communicates with parents, teachers and staff primarily through Instagram posts and emails.

Parents, Students and Faculty Weigh In On District Communication

Justin Tang and Ryan Jung | September 21, 2020

Stay-at-home orders and closures of schools caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have made online communication more important than ever. As students who opted for the hybrid learning model begin their first...

The Fair Food Drive-Thru features classic foods from the Orange County Fair such as fried Oreos and Cathy’s Cookies. Fans of Cathy’s Cookies can visit their Instagram @cathys_cookies to see where the food truck will be for that day.

Fair Food Drive-Thru Safely Serves Up Fan Favorites

Ava Caleca and Ariana Wu | September 18, 2020

From fried Oreos to turkey legs, the Fair Food Drive-Thru, which began on Aug. 28, is a highly populated venue for fair fans to get their favorite food staples. Due to the cancellation of this summer’s...

On the left, instrumental music director Kyle Traska holds his pet chicken, Elsa, for whom he assembled a coop out of a neighbor’s old kitchen cabinet. On the right, junior Safah Faraz spends time with her four-month-old calico, Pepper, who is a clumsy yet lovable fool.

Feathers, Fur and Fins: Facing Quarantine with Newfound Friends

Kayla Moshayedi, Lauren Hsu, and Zara Shirwany | September 18, 2020

For many students and staff, adopting a pet this past summer provided not only some much-needed entertainment to curb quarantine boredom, but also a lifelong companion.  For junior Shreya Shah, making...

To promote healthy behaviors and encourage environments that will reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that players refrain from sharing equipment, practice in a properly ventilated area and maintain physical distance as often as possible by focusing on individual conditioning.

Sports Will Continue to Be Safe if Precautions are Followed

Bia Shok and Lauren Hsu | September 18, 2020

Some teams, such as football, baseball and wrestling, have resumed on-campus training during the off-season while following safety precautions. Although these practices may appear risky, students are ultimately...

Because of COVID-19, many of the new teachers have unconventionally introduced themselves to their students through Zoom. As September 24 approaches, the teachers have been preparing to teach on campus for the first time and fully immerse themselves in Portola’s atmosphere.

Welcoming New Teachers to the Bulldog Staff for the 2020-21 School Year

Grace Baek and Ariana Wu | September 17, 2020

This 2020-21 school year, Amanda D'Avila, Katherine Dillon, Anthony Fullman, Desmond Hernandez, Christian Quinteros and Kayla Zimmerman join the teaching staff. Gil Carey joins the staff as project success...

In addition to her typical boba shop employee duties, senior Kayla Espiritu has taken on photography, graphic design and publicity management for her store’s social media. Despite the dangers of COVID-19, the pandemic has brought opportunities and challenges to student workers in unexpected ways.

Student Workers Adapt to COVID-19

Naila Talib and Jenny Won | September 16, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced stores across the country to shut down, many former and aspiring student workers had to postpone their employment as well. However, as the world is slowly adapting to life...

Like most others who teach via IVA, English teacher Madeline Greenwood works from home. “I have a hallway where I have a desk setup. I have a pretty nice setup — I have two monitors,” Greenwood said. Greenwood’s husband who teaches math also chose IVA for the same health reasons and works alongside Greenwood during the day.

IVA vs. Hybrid Teaching: What’s the Difference?

Jaein Kim and Michelle Kim | September 16, 2020

Before the 2020-21 school year started, all K-12 chose between three academic models: Irvine Virtual Academy (fully online), Hybrid (two in-person days) and Blended (combination of IVA and Hybrid). Along...

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