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
Michelle Kim

Michelle Kim, Business Manager

Michelle is a Business Manager for her second and final year on the Portola Pilot. She is a fierce advocate for education equity and frozen yogurt, with her favorite flavor usually being Plain Tart. She and her adorable shih tzu, Barney, love napping together and feeling nice breezes through bedside windows. If not designing an infographic or coordinating snacks for the next Pilot party, you can find her watching horror movies or explaining how the California education system works. Please contact her for inquiries regarding free food and drinks, social activism and justice, and to get absolutely destroyed at iMessage word games.

All content by Michelle Kim
Juniors Alex Richmond and Janice Kim compete at the prelims 100m race. Kim finished at 14.05 seconds, and Richmond finished at 12.45 seconds, D1 timing, according to live.athletic.net

Track and Field Athletes Stride to Success at Pacific Coast League Preliminary Meet

Sidra Asif and Michelle Kim | May 5, 2022

Brass, Pasta and Duke Ellington: Jazz Band’s Final Concert of the Year

Michelle Kim and Tyler Kim | April 27, 2022
Junior David Kim and sophomore Arjit Singh collaborate on ASB’s activities for the next school year. In the next year, as ASB president and vice-president respectively, the pair will spearhead planning of school events and connect school administration with the student body.

David Kim and Arjit Singh Elected as 2022-2023 ASB President and Vice President In First Election Convention in Two Years

Michelle Kim and Erin Choi | April 15, 2022
For Literary and Language Arts department chair Doris Schlothan, stickers are a powerful tool with the potential to spark crucial discussions and spread positivity. Schlothan said she hopes that her selection of stickers and classroom displays are able to show students her passion for subjects and political discourse. “I hope that they do show and encourage students who, for instance, are of all genders to feel and know that I have beliefs that are about empowering people and that are anti-oppression, for instance,” Schlothan said. “Hopefully they can feel more open around me, feel more open and encouraged themselves.”

Sticky Heapings of Personality: The Stories of Laptop Stickers around Campus

Michelle Kim and Tyler Kim | March 22, 2022
2022 Girl Scout Cookies Ranked

2022 Girl Scout Cookies Ranked

Michelle Kim, Business Manager | March 14, 2022
Get to Know Portola High’s Student Teachers

Get to Know Portola High’s Student Teachers

Michelle Kim, Business Manager | February 17, 2022
How to Get Free COVID-19 Home Tests

How to Get Free COVID-19 Home Tests

Michelle Kim, Business Manager | February 16, 2022
Jeanne Jelnick, a retired teacher and beloved member of the Portola High community, reminisces on her time at Portola High while shifting focus to writing and theatre.

Momma J: Where is She Now?

Zara Shirwany and Michelle Kim | January 7, 2022
The proposed map for the California Senate district splits Irvine between its northern and southern regions. This redistricting drawing plan is one of the most drastic of the proposed changes to the California Assembly and the federal Senate.

Irvine Faces Redistricting as 2020 Census Data Nears

Michelle Kim, Business Manager | November 29, 2021
RED (3)

[Photo] Taylor Swift Finally Gets to ‘Begin Again’ in ‘Red’ Re-Recording

Tara Vatandoust, Staff Writer | November 18, 2021
Villanueva paints a poster for the week’s GOW, a home football game against Dana Hills High. This is the final football game for the Bulldogs pre-CIF and features a Halloween theme.

Senior Jiyoun Yoo often finds herself learning as she is in the middle of creating a new piece. She revises her pieces in order to perfect the small details, according to Yoo.

[Photo] Jiyoun Yoo Taps Into Her Own Creative World

Shaina Taebi, Staff Writer | October 26, 2021
Though the game ended with the Patriots winning 1-3 , the team captains noted that effort, not the number of wins, is most important to the girls’ volleyball team. “The only thing that you can control every game and every practice is your effort and willingness to put in work,” Jordan said. “We could be the worst team in league, or the best, but no matter what, if you put in the effort and you play the hardest you can, you’re always going to have a good time.”

Senior Night Serves Up Girls’ Volleyball Graduates

Erin Choi and Michelle Kim | October 18, 2021
Lopez teaches his Spanish 2 class, circling verbs like ‘camino’ (I walk) and ‘terminamos’ (we finish) and underlining key terms like ‘cansado’ (tired) and ‘las clases’ (classes). ¡Qué interesante!

Meet Portola’s New Profes

Michelle Kim, Business Manager | September 30, 2021
Moll waves a large flag with an image of Buster the Bulldog as students enter the stadium. Behind her, the Pride of Portola, which includes marching band and color guard, have already taken their places on the field. “Getting to play in the marching band and show off to the entire school, it was pretty fun,” clarinetist and freshman Danny Song said.

Gallery: In-Person Pep Rallies Return

Charlotte Cao and Michelle Kim | September 10, 2021
Before the rally has begun, posters adorn the railings of the empty bleachers, which have already been subdivided into sections for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. In total, ASB created over 50 posters over the span of five days, according to varsity cheerleader, social media commissioner and senior Alexandra Moll ; phrases written on the posters included “bark bark bark bark bark” and “go dogs.”

Spirit and rally commissioners and seniors Natalie Ho and Anne Wu spend the night before the pep rally rehearsing their lines, some of which were created that very same night, according to Wu. “Natalie and I were forced to think on the whim and be really creative at the last minute,” Wu said. “Both of us are new to ASB, so this was our first time being involved in a rally planning process at all, whatsoever.”

Outside the art room, beads of various colors hang from trees and reflect the sunlight. Senior Rue Coskun prepared the installation using beads she found and upcycled. The dangling art pieces were set up on April 5, the first day of Fine Arts Week.

Seniors Sonia Goyal and Chloe Le participate in an activity during break with junior and fine arts coordinator Cinta Adhiningrat. Students put circle stickers on a large design modeled after “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, and as more students put stickers on, the design filled with vibrant colors.

Cohort A of Dance Company performs a hip-hop number to "Pretty Savage" by K-pop group Blackpink next to an art installation titled “Together But Apart” by juniors Elyse Dudley and Mia Zappala during first break on April 8. “The colors of cellophane are meant to represent different people’s perspectives and how while you’re in the box, you see different colors and see the world a little differently,” Dudley said. “Everyone’s forced to see the world a little differently. That’s also why we made them clear: you could see the other boxes and the other people standing in those boxes.”

Freshmen Ashley Tabayoyong, Jaime Lin and Elyse Berger gather together before cheer practice on March 24 along with their other upperclassmen teammates. “I really like having a lot of people to hang around with; it's really fun at practice,” Lin said.

Meet the Pep Squad’s Only Three Freshmen

Clara Ferreira Lopes and Michelle Kim | March 26, 2021
It has been one year since March 13, which is when schools had to close in response to the rising cases of the Coronavirus pandemic. The class of 2024 transitioned from middle school to high school with little-to-no at-school interaction, and they reflect on their journey so far.

Class of 2024 Reflects on Year with Hybrid Learning

Michelle Kim and Haruka Noda | March 18, 2021
Senior Emily Wei takes center stage in cheer’s performance of the song “Ready to Ride,” which they have been learning since February.

Gallery: Virtual Spring Pep Rally

Kate Hayashi and Michelle Kim | March 17, 2021
Junior and Mock Trial defendant Megan Sha prepares to perform throughout the first rounds of the competition.

Mock Trial Team is Ready for Action

Michelle Kim and Celine Lee | February 11, 2021
Senior Wesley Tjangnaka practices his viola to prepare for his solo performance in “October.” Because he is performing for both Concert and Symphonic Orchestra, he has more pieces to practice than others.

Virtual Winter Orchestra Concert Will Create Harmony from Stage to Screen

Jenny Won and Michelle Kim | December 11, 2020
Shalonda Abubakar, the newest addition to IUSD’s community liaison team, is a resource for anyone in the Black and African-American community. She believes a positive mindset can hear everyone for success.

Shalonda Abubakar Joins IUSD as Community Liaison for Black and African-American Families

Emma Haag, Ariana Wu, and Michelle Kim | December 11, 2020
Project Success specialist Gil Carey organizes his schedule of student meetings after school. Carey constantly sorts through new appointments and emails in order to make room for several sessions with students throughout the day during breaks, lunches and before school.

New Project Success Specialist Propels Students Forward

Michelle Kim and Akshay Raj | December 9, 2020
Even virtually, students come together to benefit from one other. Students of all grades can peer tutor others, as long as they are excelling in that course subject.

Peer Tutoring Returns Online

Michelle Kim, Business Manager | November 17, 2020
Junior Christopher Stocks, junior Keyana Ayaz, senior Sohrob Shahmirzadi and junior Garrett Lee join the Portola News Network reporting team for the 2020-21 school year.

New Personalities Join Portola News Network

Michelle Kim and Ryne Dunman | October 16, 2020
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[Photo] Mayoral Candidates Prepare for November Election

Kate Hayashi, Editor-in-Chief | October 9, 2020
Like most others who teach via IVA, English teacher Madeline Greenwood works from home. “I have a hallway where I have a desk setup. I have a pretty nice setup — I have two monitors,” Greenwood said. Greenwood’s husband who teaches math also chose IVA for the same health reasons and works alongside Greenwood during the day.

IVA vs. Hybrid Teaching: What’s the Difference?

Jaein Kim and Michelle Kim | September 16, 2020
Sophomore Ellie Lian and junior Chris Stocks hang out together in a local park. Many students opted to spend more time outdoors over break, especially since open spaces make social distancing easier.

Students Enjoy a Different Summer Break

Lauren Hsu and Michelle Kim | September 15, 2020
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Michelle Kim