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
Over the past few months, protestors toppled numerous Christopher Columbus statues across the nation, according to the BBC. Due to the harm that Columbus inflicted on the Indigenous community, many Americans believed that he is undeserving of commemoration.

Celebrate Culture, Not Colonization, by Replacing Columbus Day

Charlotte Cao, Co-News Editor | October 12, 2020

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and supposedly discovered the Americas. In 1495, Columbus forcibly gathered 500 Arawaks, the Indigenous people living in Hispaniola, and sold them as...

Bridging Horizons is a student-run non-profit focused on education inequality in developing countries like India. Organizers chose to focus on India because of their personal and familial connections. The group first reaches out to schools in target countries and teachers in the United States to bridge the gap in communication. They set up digital meetings and start a dialogue about ways to improve schooling between the different education systems.

Nonprofit Bridging Horizons Improves the Indian Education System

Nate Taylor, Centerspread and Photo Editor | October 9, 2020

In early spring, four juniors came together to organize a nonprofit aimed at providing equitable education in developing countries, specifically India.  Today, with a growing team of over 30 members...

Election Day will take place on Nov. 3, but the window to vote opened on Oct. 5. Irvine residents can vote from home, drop off their ballots at a drive-thru, return their ballots via the U.S. Postal Service or personally deliver their ballots to voting centers. Swipe right to view infographic on each candidate's policies.

Mayoral Candidates Prepare for November Election

Kate Hayashi, Editor-in-Chief | October 9, 2020

Four candidates are running for mayor of Irvine in the Nov. 3 election: small business owner and real estate investor Luis Huang, political columnist Katherine Daigle and frontrunners city council member...

Students prepare themselves for grocery shopping with the help of a collection of videos created by special education department co-chair Melody Resendez. The videos include specific instructions and helpful visuals to make the process as thorough as possible.

Special Education Shops From Home

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | October 8, 2020

With the Coronavirus pandemic limiting almost all education to on-campus or online-only this semester, special education department co-chair Melody Resendez is making sure her special education students...

Zendaya Coleman makes history with her Emmy Award for her role as Rue Bennett in HBO drama series “Euphoria," beating out actresses Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, Olivia Colman, Jennifer Aniston and Laura Linney.

Zendaya Makes History after Winning Emmy for HBO’s ‘Euphoria’

Kayla Moshayedi and Emma Haag | October 7, 2020

Actress, singer and model Zendaya Coleman made Emmy Awards history on Sept. 20 by being the youngest female to win Best Actress in a Drama Series at age 24. The 72nd annual Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy...

PHS Ambassadors typically give campus tours before the start of the school year, but due to COVID-19 regulations, changes had to be made.

PHS Ambassadors Find New Ways to Work Under COVID-19 Regulations

Emma Haag, Sports Editor | October 7, 2020

Every school year is bound to have a few new students from all over the world. Adjusting to new surroundings can be tough, but with the help of PHS Ambassadors, students are able to feel more welcome to...

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, of which playing wind instruments is known to be a superspreader, students are instead learning about musical composition. Though it may be a challenge, students are still able to harness their creativity while becoming familiar with new softwares.

Student Musicians Embrace the Art of Composition

Nate Taylor, Centerspread Editor | October 6, 2020

Distance learning has been a struggle for every collaborative elective class, forcing limits on creativity and constraining cooperation.  To combat this, the instrumental music department has focused...

IUSD will follow procedures for both reopening and closing in case of a COVID-19 outbreak in accordance with the Orange County Department of Education’s guidelines, including the protocol outlined in the above graphic.

First COVID-19 Case Confirmed at Portola High

Jenny Won, Opinion Editor | October 5, 2020

As of Oct. 5, fewer than two weeks since the return to in-person learning on Sept. 24, there is one confirmed COVID-19 case at Portola High out of nine total across Irvine Unified School District (IUSD),...

Senior Angela Kim edited the video, spending approximately ten hours per one minute of footage to piece together the elements, which are all depicted in this video timeline. Her inspiration was Vox, which explains why “The World's Largest Humanitarian Crisis Explained | A Letter to Humanity: Save Yemen” features many handmade graphics and news images.

‘A Letter to Humanity:’ Students’ Video Project Raise Awareness and Funds for Yemen

Charlotte Cao, Co-News Editor | October 5, 2020

When the television turns on, people become inundated with current news, whether it be politics or the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, all too often, certain events fall through the cracks; the humanitarian crisis...

Assistant principal Jen Ochsner is talking to a former student during snack. She says that because she is comfortable with adapting quickly and problem solving, she enjoys being in an administrative position. “I’m also somebody who enjoys the process of problem solving and enjoys thinking outside the box . . . With a lot of things going on and changing, I am comfortable with that and comfortable with having to shift and adapt to things that change, and things that need to get done,” Ochsner said.

Former Math Teacher Jen Ochsner Joins Administrative Team as Assistant Principal

Bia Shok, Features Editor | October 2, 2020

After former assistant principal Kris Linville transferred to the role of director of Irvine Virtual Academy, former math teacher Jen Ochsner became the third assistant principal as of the 2020-21 school...

Mental Health, an Underlying Epidemic: What Brings You Hope?

Ryne Dunman and Jaein Kim | October 1, 2020

  The Portola Pioneer is the official news and culture podcast of the Portola Pilot, aiming to foster a sense of community and provide a unique storytelling medium to its listeners. In the September...

The fall play, “One Stoplight Town,” will be virtual this year despite the transition to the hybrid model, as there is no definitively safe way of sanitizing every piece of equipment after each student’s use, according to performing arts teacher Samantha Sanford.

Shining the Spotlight: Tech Theater Works a Different Kind of Behind-the-Scenes

Bia Shok, Features Editor | October 1, 2020

Under more typical circumstances, members of both the technical theater and advanced technical theater courses would be fully occupied with the fall play production.  Creating play sets, designing...

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