Skip to Main Content
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

It is believed that every zodiac sign has their own distinct traits. While one’s zodiac sun sign plays a large part in determining personality traits, the moon and the rising signs can attribute individuals with more specific traits.

Do Their Zodiac Signs Make These Teachers Compatible?

Emma Haag, Kayla Moshayedi, and Zara Shirwany | December 7, 2020

From fiery and ambitious Leos to grounded and hardworking Virgos, zodiac signs and their characteristics seem too accurate to be based on coincidence, which makes them a trending conversation topic among...

As the first Silverado fire spread towards Irvine, many communities were forced to evacuate and Portola High shut down for three days. The closure pressured students and teachers from all departments to reschedule plans and work distribution.

Silverado Fire Pushed Back Curricula

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | December 7, 2020

The October Silverado fire caused many Orange County neighborhoods to evacuate, with Portola High closing from Oct. 26-28 and causing many class curricula to be pushed back. The fire caused complications...

Over his “Jeopardy!” career, Alex Trebek hosted more than 8,000 episodes, setting the record for most shows hosted, and won seven Emmy awards as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, according to Jeopardy.com.

A Classic for the Ages. What is ‘Jeopardy!’?

Charlotte Cao, Co-News Editor | December 4, 2020

This classic game show, renowned for its unique format in which contestants are given the answers and expected to respond with questions, was first conceived by television host Merv Griffin and made its...

During former President Barack Obama’s term in 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused Supreme Court Justice hearings for former President Obama’s nominees. However, he strongly pushed for a new nominee during the final year of President Trump’s term, exposing the hypocrisy of McConnell and the Republican-majority Senate.

Amy Coney Barrett’s Nomination Marks a Concerning Departure from Precedent and Principle

Dheeksha Bhima Reddy, Cara Chan, and Ryan Jung | December 2, 2020

President Donald Trump nominated Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Sept. 29 to replace the seat of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. President Trump nominated her just 35...

In addition to the typical music production and songwriting, BTS has chosen to take part in the concept development, visual design, set curation, photographs and video direction of this album, according to Rolling Stone, to thoroughly reflect their emotions during unusual times.

BTS Album Shows That ‘Life Goes On’ Despite Pandemic

Cara Chan and Dheeksha Bhima Reddy | December 2, 2020

The recent shift from 2019’s carefree and cheerful tunes to 2020’s solemn and desolate sounds reflect the universal feelings of fear, boredom and depression due to the pandemic. Many artists used this...

Anne Hathaway stars as the evil Grand High Witch. In Zemeckis’ adaptation, witches have bald heads, no toes and three knobbly, bird-like claws on each hand.

Zemeckis’ ‘The Witches’ Could Have Been Great

Erin Choi, Managing Editor | December 1, 2020

From the very beginning of Robert Zemeckis’ movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book, “The Witches,” a kindly-voiced narrator, sing-songy dialogue and whimsical character action classify the film...

Discord was founded May of 2015 and has reached over 250 million registered users as of 2019 according to Business of Apps. “As time passed, a lot of you realized, and vocalized, that you simply wanted a place designed to hang out and talk in the comfort of your own communities and friends.” co-founder and CEO of Discord Jason Citron said in an interview with Wersm. “You wanted a place to have genuine conversations and spend quality time with people, whether catching up, learning something, or sharing ideas.”

Digital Culture Forges Connections Among Teens

Bia Shok, Features Editor | December 1, 2020

Reaching new heights in popularity, “Among Us,” Teleparty and Discord are all apps quenching desires for social connection even with the hindrance of social distancing. Although these peaks in platform...

With the ASB announcement that clubs must meet virtually for the foreseeable future, clubs have turned to Zoom to hold their meetings whether they intend to prepare for competitions, engage in community outreach or raise awareness for social issues.

Clubs Face New Challenges in Distanced Settings

Ryne Dunman and Ryan Jung | December 1, 2020

For many student groups, the move to distance and hybrid learning presents a series of unforeseen triumphs and challenges, forcing new and old school clubs alike to make radical adjustments to their operations. Now,...

Make My GPA Great Again!

Jaein Kim, Director of Photography | November 30, 2020

Senior Angela Kim and freshman Rachel Kim’s father normally lives in Korea, but he always makes the visit back home for Christmas.

Korean-American Traditions Make for Double the Holidays

Kate Hayashi and Celine Lee | November 30, 2020

Senior Angela Kim and freshman Rachel Kim lived in Korea for four years before moving back to America. Though they cannot see their extended family this year, the sisters have found a way to still keep...

Teachers Share Their ‘Sides’ on Celebrating Thanksgiving

Cara Chan, Business Team | November 27, 2020

For many teachers, Thanksgiving is an important time to celebrate with loved ones. Thanksgiving differs for each teacher, who come from different backgrounds and cultures.  For literary and language...

Families from every part of the United States have their own Thanksgiving traditions, many of which include unique recipes. From something as classic as pumpkin pie, to a variety of cultural foods, Thanksgiving dinner is guaranteed to bring people together.

A Guide to the Perfect Thanksgiving Table

Emma Haag and Kayla Moshayedi | November 25, 2020

A typical Thanksgiving dinner consists of roast turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, bread, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Though most prefer to have a Thanksgiving dinner...

Donate to Portola Pilot
$210
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Activate Search
The student news site of Portola High School
Showcase