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
Bia Shok

Bia Shok, Co-News Editor

Bia Shok is the co-news editor for her third and final year on the Pilot! She is super excited to expand the Pilot’s influence even further this year through podcasts, feature stories(she missed out on last year) and in-person interviews. Outside of the newsroom, she can be found sitting in her gaming PC downing her third coffee at 3AM(don’t tell her it’s unhealthy because she knows). If you can’t get her to open up after talking about K-drama, webtoons, or her cat, nothing will. With her various interests in humanities and STEM, she believes writing is her connection to her differing passions. She is passionate about writing with a purpose and impact, and she will most definitely hunt you down for late deadlines.

All content by Bia Shok
Junior Sarika Menon works on measuring out the length of her boat in preparation for the race. The size of the boat will be a crucial factor in determining which group will ultimately win the race, according to junior Sharon Chen.

[Photo] AP Physics Classes Splashes Into Summer with Final Project of the Year

May 27, 2022
With the development of social media such as Instagram and Snapchat, keeping in touch might seem easier than it had been. But with these unique suggestions deterring from the usual options, doing so can be more different and fun.

Let’s Keep in Touch! How Seniors Can Continue Their Friendships

May 26, 2022
Freshman Ananya Vuppula and her group perform a Bollywood dance at the SASA cultural show on April 16. They danced to “Pinga,” “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” and “Ghagra.” She said her favorite part was dancing with her friends and getting to know them better.

Freshman Ananya Vuppula Lives the Bollywood Dream through Cultural Dancing

May 5, 2022
For senior Aarushi Shankar, the flute provides many opportunities to create melodies and find out what she likes in her compositions. “I take my flute, and I start playing a melody. Then I work around things,” Shankhar said. “If I hear something that I like, I save that, and I write it in… Then I started working out like harmonies and chords. So thats super helpful for me, because its a lot harder for me to just sing out like a melody.”

[Photo] Aarushi Shankar ‘Composes’ Her Life Through ‘bitterness’

April 29, 2022
At the bar set to 6-foot-1, senior Aryan Shrivastava practiced solidifying his movement for a jump event that took place on Jan 29. During the event, Shrivastava jumped a personal record of 6-foot 5 and is expecting to compete again in a dual meet against Woodbridge High and Laguna Hills High on the track on March 1.

Senior Aryan Shrivastava Commits to Jumping New Heights at UChicago

February 14, 2022
Offensive midfielder and freshman Jenna Verplancke takes possession of the ball, blocking a pass from the Trojans. Eventually, Verplancke was able to bring the ball near the goal of the Bulldogs’ side of the field but failed to additionally score during the second half.

Girls’ Soccer Ties While Maintaining First-Place in League

February 7, 2022
Marisa Wilkerson stands in front of the U.S. Capitol Building during 2017 when she moved to Washington, D.C. for her internship with an interest group during college.

Social Studies Teacher Turns Political Advocacy to Teaching Political Literacy

January 4, 2022
Running back and linebacker and senior Nova Kebelli tries to loosen the grasp of the opposing teammate as he tries to be in an open position to receive plays. Coming back to a more typical season after an unconventional year, head football coach Peter Abe gave advice for future seasons. “You should come out here and enjoy all the benefits high school athletics can provide for you,” Abe said. “And because of that and great high school programs, you are also going to become a better person in the process. So live it up, enjoy all of that. Your only job is to be a good person, be a good student and have a whole lot of fun while youre still a minor.”

CIF Football Game Results in Bulldog Loss After Strong 7-3 Season Standing

November 15, 2021
Seniors Cecilia Mou, Shaun Baek and Rachel Shim pose for their photo during snack. Mou decided to dress up as Lofi Girl, the profile picture of a YouTube channel that streams lo-fi playlists. Baek dressed as the well-known and beloved Disney character Winnie the Pooh. Shim wore a monochromatic look, pairing a white outfit to match her bunny ears.

Looking Back on the Creepy and Cute Halloween Costumes on Campus

November 4, 2021
Sophomore Brian Kim reads “Mythology” by Edith Hamilton, a book that depicts Greek, Roman and Norse mythological stories. Kim said he used the book to gain insight into the opposing side of his stance and explore how the author portrayed the western stories. According to Kim, the book provided contrast he was able to reference when mentioning the portrayal of other non-western subjects such as how Buddhism spread to other cultures, a topic he explored in his research journal. He also referenced the book “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari to develop background knowledge on early human history, culture and religion.

Sophomore Brian Kim Creates Current Connections to History

October 27, 2021
Cheer team greets the walkers finishing the walk. At the event, first-time participant Martha Carillo expressed her gratitude for the event. “It’s a good support group. I learned a lot today already. I was only here for about a half-hour beforehand, and I got great information,” Carillo said. “It’s kinda overwhelming to find out how many people have to deal with it and to see the little kids, you know they’re affected as well if they’re living with their grandparents, and they’re seeing them in that condition.”

Bringing Spirit Beyond Campus: Cheer Supports Community Cause

October 6, 2021
Junior Nicole Wang works on her next art piece, a pencil sketch. Although her commissions are usually digital drawings, Wang prefers to work on paper. “ I like how it looks when its in a sketch form,” Wang said. “I put more hard work into that.”

Nicole Wang Draws for Emotions

September 29, 2021
Senior Ashley Presnell currently plays attacking positions on the field. Starting as a midfielder her sophomore year, she built her skills over her junior and senior years to be well-suited for the position. “As someone who plays on attack, I wasn’t a high-scoring player in previous years, so for me, my personal battle was taking more shots on goal, and that’s something that I’ve worked towards improving all four years and I finally feel confident about it this year,” Presnell said.

Senior Ashley Presnell Sticks to the Sport She Loves

June 1, 2021
Alumnus and UCSD freshman Farhad Taraporevala lays down meat on the grill, one of the most important roles to ensure that each bowl or burrito has the authentic Chipotle taste. As the most experienced worker of the trio, Taraporevala introduced his former bandmates to work at the Woodbury Town Center Chipotle.

Iconic Trio Goes from Trumpet Lovers to Master Meat Handlers

May 20, 2021
Senior and co-captain Sherwin Salehi focuses on preventing the opposing team from getting the ball while looking inwards to find a place to pass. Salehi is a striker who has the role of finding positions adequate for scoring goals, away from opponents.

Boys’ Soccer Opens Season with a Tight Match

March 22, 2021
Coach Benjamin Jordon says he took on the new job offer at Portola High to challenge himself. “It would have challenged me as a leader and as a role model … So, taking on the Portola job would have placed me out of my comfort zone in terms of the challenge thats needed at that particular program,” Jordon said.

New Boys’ Soccer Coach Benjamin Jordon Kicks Off with the Right Foot

March 17, 2021
The watercolor piece painted by AP Art Studio student and senior Gina Cardini is named “A Series of Events” and is inspired by her grandfather’s daily life. Cardini said she always had a fascination for the older generation, and she wanted to portray a scene that is easy to understand. “As artists, we would be extremely honored if even one person came to look at our art pieces, but personally as a human being, these times have been very difficult and I think everyone needs a distraction every once in a while,” Cardini said. “This is really going to be the perfect time to escape the real world and look at bright colors and be amazed by the different shades and talents of such wonderful artists.”

Virtual Gallery Shines Light on Visual Artists

February 22, 2021
In order to reduce cases, students must follow state and county guidelines while following safety procedures on-campus. Wearing a mask in public places and avoiding crowded areas while maintaining a six feet distance from others is essential.

COVID-19 Dashboard Serves as Accurate Communicator to Irvine Community Members

February 10, 2021
Turning to a New Page: What will 2021 Bring?

Turning to a New Page: What will 2021 Bring?

February 4, 2021
Coach Brendan Murphy says that as a fiction-lover and a fan of “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings,” the sword-like movements of lacrosse featured attracted him to the sport more than others.

New Boys’ Lacrosse Coach Brendan Murphy Steps in Strong with Passion and Dedication

February 2, 2021
Senior and executive producer Angela Kim said that in order to capture crisp natural sounds in her footage, she placed the mic near the subject in action. In this shot, she filmed her mother chopping carrots, which will be an ingredient in making kimbap, a traditional Korean seaweed wrap.

PNN B-Roll Challenge Encourages Students to Expand Their Technical Boundaries

December 8, 2020
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

December 1, 2020
To make it to the World Series, top divisional winners from the National and American league compete in postseason, which is also called the playoffs. Then, champion teams from each division play each other at the World Series, competing for the World Series champion title. While the Dodgers made it to the playoffs in 2016 and 2017, they have not won the title since 1988 against the Oakland Athletics.

After 32 Long Years, The Dodgers Regain World Series Champions Title

November 18, 2020

Staff Members Supporting Rivalling Sports Teams Hit it Off

November 2, 2020
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

October 2, 2020
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

October 1, 2020
IUSD communicates with parents, teachers and staff primarily through Instagram posts and emails.

[Photo] Parents, Students and Faculty Weigh In On District Communication

September 21, 2020
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

September 18, 2020
Back to School Night videos for each teacher will be around ten minutes long, mimicking the time schedule that physical Back to School Nights had.

Asynchronous Videos Replace In-Person Back to School Night

September 9, 2020
WOW had five events, and ASB featured participating students on ASB Instagram stories. The grade with the most contributing students earned a point for the class points system, a competition in which each class competes for the most points at the end of the year. Before WOW, freshmen had 10 points, sophomores have 5 points, juniors have 15 points and seniors have 20 points in the class points system, and the updated points will be announced in a few days.

Virtual Spirit Week Replaces Annual Welcome Back Dance

September 4, 2020
Although this year’s ceremony was held on a virtual platform, the celebrations of these athletes remained strong. Principal John Pehrson said, “in no way [the process] diminishes our admiration or gratitude for all you do and what you stand for.”

Pacific Coast League Awards Senior Athletes For Character and Performance

May 29, 2020
Hope Squad members aim to create a safe school environment, promote connectedness, support anti-bullying, encourage mental wellness, reduce mental health stigma and prevent substance misuse, according to the website.

Hope Squad Supports Students Virtually In Midst of Pandemic

May 21, 2020
A Ralphs employee, Marko, sanitizes carts to ensure the safety of customers. While Ralphs still maintains its normal operating hours as they are necessary for providing residents food and day-to-day essentials, they have implemented precautions that reduce risk of customers contracting the virus.

Governor Announces Modifications to Gradually Reopen

May 19, 2020
The American Journal of Public Health found nearly 45,000 annual deaths are associated with lack of health insurance. According to a West Health-Gallup survey, an estimated 34 million people, one in eight American adults, say in the last five years they have had at least one friend or family member who died after being unable to afford medical treatment for their condition.

Stop Deaths Caused by America’s Healthcare System

May 14, 2020
The homeless are cold, unbathed and also more susceptible to Coronavirus, as they do not have facilities to keep themselves hygienic. Their unsanitary conditions and already deficient health status increase the risk of these individuals contracting the virus, which also poses a threat to the public.

Helping the Homeless is Curing California

May 11, 2020
Water polo player and sophomore Andrew Cherry does his workouts in his backyard after a run, and usually lifts weights to make sure his arms will be toned in condition when school starts again.

Staying Active as a Sports Player in the Pandemic

May 6, 2020
Although fabric masks are not a direct substitution for medical-grade masks, the CDC encourages the use of fabric face masks among citizens as it can reduce the spread of the virus. Masks must fit properly and should be machine washed regularly in order to most effectively prevent transmission.

Stay Stylish and Safe in the Pandemic with These Masks

May 1, 2020
A local tennis court in Portola Springs is blocked with caution tape. The stay-at-home order left the usually packed courts vacant on a Saturday afternoon.

COVID-19 in the Community

April 24, 2020
Without social distancing, one Coronavirus infectee will on average infect 2.5 people within five days, which will result in 406 new cases after 30 days, according to Statistica. The number significantly decreases when practicing physical distancing, which can contribute to “flattening the curve” of new infections. If 50% of the infected patients self-quarantine themselves, there will only be 15 new cases after 30 days, and there will be 2.5 new cases if 75% of the infected practice physical distancing.

Lifting Stay-at-Home Orders? Absolutely Not.

April 22, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom pictured speaking at the California Democratic Party State Convention in 2019 after he entered office in January of that year. As of April 14, New York has 202,208 confirmed cases according to the New York Times, the state has especially been experiencing a shortage in ventilators to supply patients in critical condition.

Gov. Gavin Newsom Announces Gradual Plan to Reopen California After Sending Ventilators to Aid New York’s Combat with COVID-19

April 15, 2020
Sophomore Kian Miremadi maintains a handstand during his swing on parallel bars. The drill combines aspects of strength and balance, requiring the gymnast to have upper-body control.

Sophomore Gymnast Hops Back After Recovery

April 7, 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students found it harder to resist being on their screens. Students spend more time playing video games and scrolling through social media platforms during the time they would normally be at school.

Students Need to Step Away From Their Screens

April 6, 2020
Leanne Lupone, long-term substitute teacher for Newton, wanted to be a teacher since she was 5 years old. After graduating high school in MA, she joined UCI’s unique program that allowed her to study science and science education together in a bachelors program.

Long-Term Substitute Teachers Create Permanent Impacts

March 24, 2020
Sophomore Ryan Jung and seniors Kaveh Wojtowich, Matthew Vo and Taira Asakura hold their house flags as Portolas last house presidents before the transition to the class system.

Portola Makes Transition to Class System

March 23, 2020
The digital music production club worked on the Spirit of the Season concert on Dec. 12. Visual and performing arts teacher Adrian Rangel-Sanchez gave the team recordings of the concert on different mics, leaving the task of adjusting the volumes of the mics and recordings to the club.

Digital Music Production Club Expands its Influence

March 19, 2020
H2H: Is Daylight Saving Worth It?

H2H: Is Daylight Saving Worth It?

March 9, 2020
With Irvine having a reputation for being a “wealthy” community, it is easy for students to assume their peers around them have the same affluence. These generalizations can make it harder for students to share out their financial struggles and make them feel left out.

Do Not Expect Everyone In Irvine to Be Wealthy

March 3, 2020
After six years of passionate practice, sophomore Renee Wang can perform a variety of advanced tricks, such as vertical axis, one-handed whips and double yo-yo.

Sophomore Chinese Yo-yo Performer Shares her Talent

February 14, 2020
Senior Julia Lee says she enjoys computer graphics more than fine arts due to how digital platforms are easier to edit errors compared to other mediums. Although Lee was first concerned that she was not familiar with digital platforms, she was able to catch on quickly through many hours of additional practice at home.

Senior Artist Designs Artwork for Album Cover

February 14, 2020
Teachers will be using interdisciplinary projects throughout the remainder of the school year to break barriers between different subjects. Through these collaborations, teachers hope that students will become more aware of interdisciplinary connections in their own lives and think creatively using skills they’ve acquired in the classroom.

Teachers Break Barriers Through Interdisciplinary Learning Projects

January 20, 2020
Adrian Rangel-Sanchez’s classroom has a tree lit with lights and red-color-schemed collection of ornaments based off his affection for lights and decorations that was developed early-on in his childhood. The decorations are something he does every year after Thanksgiving break to encourage students to get into the holiday cheer.

Teachers Wrap Their Classrooms in Festivity

December 19, 2019
13.4% of citizens in California lack enough resources to meet basic needs, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Canned Food Drives CAN’t Solve America’s Hunger Crisis

December 16, 2019
With suicide being the second leading cause of death, Hope Squad focuses on targetting this prevalent issue through three important steps: prevention, intervention and postvention.

Hope Squad Brings Peer Support to Campus

December 3, 2019
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

November 18, 2019
Junior Trevor Howden plays “Come As You Are” by the rock band Nirvana and “Enter Sandman” by the heavy metal band Metallica during office hours. Howden says that he likes to play that song because the iconic bands have been an inspiration for him.

Campus Performers Embrace Their Passion by Playing Out Their Hearts

November 14, 2019
Many students created altars dedicated to personal role-models, like Steve Jobs. Every project includes features that can be found in traditional Mexican ofrendas: paper decorations, called papel picados, represent the element of air, while bright flowers and leaves represent earth.

Students Celebrate Day of the Dead by Honoring Their Role Models

November 8, 2019
Sophomore Cinta Adhiningrat takes a look at the candy selections in the Halloween candy aisle at a local Ralphs. She mentions that her favorite candy is KitKats while her least favorite candy is Candy Corn.

Rating the Most Underrated and Overrated Candies of All Time

October 31, 2019
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The student news site of Portola High School
Bia Shok