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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

How to Thanksgiving: Turkey

William Hsieh, Julia Kim, and Farhad Taraporevala | November 22, 2019

No Thanksgiving feast is complete without the glorious main dish that we all look forward to: turkey. Luckily, turkeys are very accessible in Irvine, offered at stores like Costco or Ralphs. We bought...

Irvine Talks board members are charged with painting the mural for the event. Those painting the mural incorporated the theme of “Movement” in the artwork by making it a central focus of the work.

Record Number of Portola High Students Will Perform in Irvine Talks for an Evening of ‘Movement’

Maya Sabbaghian and Kate Hayashi | November 21, 2019

Irvine Talks board has entered the final stages of preparation for its third annual event with a record number of performers from Portola High, including juniors Kailyn Pham and Eric Hao and seniors Dheitshaa...

Despite changing her major eight times, Newton never strayed far from science and utilized her college experience to explore different fields of study that sparked her interest.

Why These Teachers Changed Majors

Jaein Kim, Staff Writer | November 21, 2019

Declaring a major in college can greatly influence one’s academic and professional career. Math teacher Shelley Godett, science teacher Jeralyn Newton and counselor Nicole Epres stand among the one-third...

Freshman Bella Chhiv competes in tournaments regularly, such as the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Springteam Championship hosted in Mobile, Alabama; additionally, she is currently ranked 11th in California, according to the Babolat recruiting list on the Tennis Recruiting Network.

Freshman Sets the Pace for Girls’ Tennis Team

Annie Qiao, A&E Editor | November 20, 2019

As freshman Bella Chhiv begins to recount tales of the places and people she has met through her years in tennis, her teammates intermittently stop by, shouting words of encouragement and whimsical inside...

Branching out from his original base of hip-hop, Kanye West has ventured into R&B, synth-pop, electro, soul, baroque pop and, most recently gospel.

Kanye West Decides to “Use This Gospel”: “Jesus is King” Album Review

Erin Choi and Simrat Singh | November 20, 2019

Kanye West, a prominent icon in the music industry, continues to experiment with an eclectic array of styles, with each album marking a new phase of his professional career. In his Oct. 19 release, “Jesus...

AP Classroom Provides Wealth of AP Knowledge

AP Classroom Provides Wealth of AP Knowledge

Aaron Sha, Features Editor | November 20, 2019

College Board introduced a vastly beneficial new feature, AP Classroom, into its Advanced Placement program this academic year, as well as altering almost the entire system of sign-ups for the current...

Freshman Moka Saiki shoots a two-point shot during practice to prepare for the upcoming winter season. The next varsity girls’ basketball game will be on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. against Capistrano Valley High.

Freshmen Girls Take on Varsity Winter Sports

Emma Haag, Staff Writer | November 19, 2019

Moka Saiki  Freshman Moka Saiki has been playing basketball for eight years, and she will be competing at the varsity level for the 2019-2020 winter season.  Saiki handles the pressure of being...

Athletic trainer Kathryn Cleek tapes a student’s ankle before practice. Approximately five hours of Cleek’s day is designated for treating athletes with both short-and-long term injuries.

New Athletic Trainer is “Living the Pedigree”

Emma Haag, Staff Writer | November 19, 2019

From taping what seems like an endless number of athletes’ injuries each day to staying late for Friday night football games, new athletic trainer Kathryn Cleek has brought her medical training expertise...

Junior Faith DeNeve prepares lumpia, a type of Filipino spring roll, from memory and shares her appreciation of the intimacy in home cooking as opposed to catering for large gatherings. The scratch-made variety yields a crisper exterior and the brightness of fresher ingredients.

Serving Recipes from the Melting Pot

Kelthie Truong, Back Page Editor | November 19, 2019

Like a switch has flipped, the energy of stressed, sleep-deprived students replenishes as the year transitions into the distinct season of nippy weather, frequent breaks, preliminary Christmas music streaming...

Kombucha is a probiotic-rich beverage that provides many health benefits including enhancing digestive and liver health. The company, Health-Ade Kombucha is a Los Angeles-based company that strives to have the “best tasting and highest quality kombucha,” according to their website.

Reviewing Kombucha, the Famously-Fermented Fizzy Drink

Emma Haag and Bia Shok | November 18, 2019

Kombucha is a growing trend that promises multiple health benefits, such as improving the digestive system, preventing infections, aiding weight loss, reducing the risk of heart disease, supporting liver...

Passion Day coordinator and visual arts teacher Kearci Moir works with junior and committee member Mona Tavassoli to develop new methods that seek to increase student engagement in the annual Passion Day event. They plan on executing this through sending out a google form asking students about their passions to ensure that there is a session suitable for a diverse student body.

Passion Day Planning Committee Recruits Student Voices

Claudia Lin, Staff Writer | November 15, 2019

Every year, staff members have been tasked with the responsibility for planning the annual Passion Day event, but in order to address crucial issues regarding student involvement, staff members turned...

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