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

Junior Yunseong Jung tests out the flute that he and partner junior Stephanie Zhang built to compete in the event Sounds of Music. In the event, team members play the twelve tone scale on the flute they constructed, with pitch frequency being tested for accuracy.

Science Olympiad Advances to State From Regionals

Annie Qiao and Tiffany Wu | February 25, 2019

Science Olympiad placed fourth at the regional competition at University of California, Irvine on Feb. 9, advancing to the state competition on Apr. 6. The team competed against 35 other high schools in...

Junior Aditya Sasanur and sophomore Ethan Hung introduce the four stations planned for the event, including Math Bingo, Non-Newtonian Fluids, Aluminum Foil Boats and Artistic Points of Interest.

STEAM For All Club Hosts Passion Exploration Event

Junhee Ryu and Tiffany Wu | February 22, 2019

STEAM For All club hosted the February STEAM Exploration Night, a fully student-run event catered to around 40 Irvine elementary students in the science building on Feb. 15 and organized by co-presidents...

Juniors Jason Lee and Nishad Francis won their medals after a season of hard work, collaboration and dedication.

Mock Trial Receives First Individual Awards

Tiffany Wu, Staff Writer | February 21, 2019

Mock Trial participants gathered at the University of California, Irvine Crystal Cove Auditorium on Feb. 7 for the 38th Annual CRF-OC Mock Trial Awards. Among high schoolers from 14 other public school...

With the rise of homework help apps like Slader, some students may rely on online services to finish assignments.

Students with Slader: A Fine Line Between Studying and Copying

Jenny Won, Business Team | February 20, 2019

Nowadays, simply taking a picture of a complicated math problem on your phone can get you a solution. Apps like Photomath utilize artificial intelligence to solve equations automatically. Another student...

Three veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom and three veterans from the Vietnam War, also the representatives of Veterans from Foreign Wars (VFW), shared their stories on stage during the entire event. After the presentation was over, these six individuals were invited to the black box for lunch with the Wounded Warrior club members.

Veterans Reach the Hearts of Hundreds

Julia Kim, Editor-in-Chief | February 20, 2019

Three veterans from The Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom - sergeant Keola Kapono M. Enomoto, staff sergeant Carlos Garcia and combat veteran Thomas Woods - shared their service stories with an audience...

Fueled by her love for both the music and dancing, Kate Dang has been driven to continue her dancing in and out of school. Using time such as breaks for dance, Dang is always preparing for a new video.

Kate Dang: A Dancer Who Needs No Stage

Julia Kim and Jenny Won | February 20, 2019

When sophomore Kate Dang created her Instagram account @katexdance the summer of 2015, she was a mere middle schooler with a passion for dance. Nearly four years later, Dang continues to post regular dance...

Junior and point guard Robert Giraldy prepares to take a free throw in hopes of decreasing Moorpark High’s lead in the third quarter.

Boys’ Basketball Makes it to Second Round of CIF

Annie Qiao, Aneska Smith, and Tiffany Wu | February 19, 2019

This season, boys’ basketball (15-15) made it to CIF in its first qualifying year, but fell short 50-65 in the second round of playoffs against Moorpark High on Feb. 12, which marked the end of the season....

Technology is Productivity’s Worst Enemy

Technology is Productivity’s Worst Enemy

Jordan Lee, Front Page Editor | February 19, 2019

With the advent of the internet, artificial intelligence and social media, there is no doubt that technology greatly influences our day-to-day lives. We use it to communicate with others, entertain ourselves...

The bulk bins found at Whole Foods Market are frequented by chemistry teacher Brittney Kang and many other zero-wasters for enabling the option of reusable containers over plastic packaging.

How “Zero-Waste” is Doing More with Less

Kelthie Truong, Contributing Writer | February 19, 2019

For activists of the zero-waste movement, plastic straws are so last season. The zero-waste movement has grown rapidly, and as of 2019, its forces now conquer areas all across the globe, armed with muslin...

William Hsieh, Sai Kuppili, Shishir Ravipati, Elena Kim, and Joanna Fan participated in the National Science Bowl at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in La Cañada Flintridge, California. The team placed 13 out of 24 teams and had the opportunity to meet people working at JPL.

The Science Bowl: Cooperate to Compete

Manan Mendiratta, Contributing Writer | February 15, 2019

Science Bowl, an extremely selective club co-led by sophomore Joanna Fan and junior William Hsieh, pushed its limits to train and compete at one of the most prestigious Science Bowl competitions in the...

The Full Orchestra performed its closing piece, “Finlandia, Op. 26” by Jean Sibelius, during the Winter Concert. This is one of the few musical pieces in the entire concert that included Symphonic Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra Winds & Percussions.

Russian Winter: Performers Play at Instrumental Winter Concert

Aaron Sha, Business Team | February 15, 2019

Instrumentalists started the year off strong with a riveting performance during their Winter Concert, titled “Russian Winter,” on Jan. 30. With 14 winter-themed musical pieces, Jazz Ensemble, String...

Chinese 3 students perform a vivid, southern-style traditional lion dance to represent prosperity and harbor good luck for the new year.

Chinese Class Shines the Moonlight on Lunar New Year

Jane Zou, Staff Writer | February 14, 2019

Prior to the Lantern Festival on Feb. 19, students in all three levels of Chinese classes created projects to display in the Learning Commons. These projects not only highlight the Lunar New Year celebrations...

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