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
Nina Krish

Nina Krish, Managing Editor

Nina Krish is a Managing Editor for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. She is beaming to finally write sports stories again with her best friend Olivia. In her free time, you can find her baking or making matcha with Kayley. She frequents Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods in search of new snacks to eat during Pilot. She can’t wait to work with the new staff and plan the best parties

All content by Nina Krish
The girls volleyball team huddles during a game during the 2024-2025 season. “I think our team dynamic has grown so much this year,” captain and senior Paige Ingles said. “We have so many people who play multiple positions, and it makes our whole team able to win the game for us.”

Girls Volleyball is ‘Set’ for Success This Upcoming Season

Nina Krish and Olivia Ganes | September 22, 2025
From the high speed action of “F1: The Movie” to the thrilling, heroic scenes of “Superman,” the summer of 2025 introduced record breaking movies.

Blockbusters & Bingewatches: Summer of 2025 Hits

Nina Krish, Co-Managing Editor | September 17, 2025
Canta Bella member and junior Bella Valencia performs a solo during the ensemble’s performance of “Stay” by Rihanna. “I always enjoyed watching the Treblemakers, the all guys group, because they always have really fun dances,” Portola Singers member and junior Jaskiran Singh said. “I also loved Bella Valencia's solo and Portobella song.”

Seniors, Solos and Standing Ovations: the Annual Pops Concert was a Night to Remember

Nina Krish and Zoha Syed | June 5, 2025
Trying The Viral Egg Flight

Trying The Viral Egg Flight

Olivia Ganes and Nina Krish | May 27, 2025
Junior Simar Kaur presents four recent nail sets. “The first set I did was French, and I remember it looked really bad,” Kaur said. “I remember the Spider-Man set that took me six hours to do. I feel like after I did the Spider-Man nails, I got the hang of it, and after that everything got easier.”

Manicures With Meaning: Junior Simar Kaur Gives Back to the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital

Nina Krish, Sports Editor | May 14, 2025

Don’t get FOMO From Not Trying BOPOMOFO, Irvine’s New Cafe

Nina Krish, Zoha Syed, and Kayley Winata | April 23, 2025
Nine days before the release of her album, “So Close To What,” Tate McRae put her tracklist out on Instagram, posing next to a Hollywood star. The record is McRae’s first to reach No. 1 on Billboard 200.

Tate McRae’s “So Close To What” Makes Records on Charts

Nina Krish and Olivia Ganes | March 7, 2025
Woodbury Elementary Science Olympiad head coach and freshman Smriti Mishra poses with her Science Olympiad team after the Sierra Vista Invitational where the team placed fifth. “I was inspired by my sister who was a coach at Jeffrey Trail and at Woodbury as well,” Mishra said. “And then I became the coach at Woodbury, so I got inspired by looking up to my peers as well as looking at the older kids around me.”

Medal-Worthy Mentorship: Science Olympiad Students Train the Next Generation

Nina Krish, Sports Editor | March 6, 2025
Taste Testing Around The World: Trying International Snacks

Taste Testing Around The World: Trying International Snacks

Olivia Ganes and Nina Krish | March 5, 2025
Co-captains senior Ellen Liu and junior Suhrith Muvvala stand alongside their advisor and science teacher Christian Quinteros to collect their sixth place overall plaque earned at the annual USC Science Olympiad Invitational. “So across the board, our placements have gotten a lot better, and we've gotten a lot more consistent among the 23 solo events, which is helping us place a lot better this year compared to last year,” Muvvala said.

Science Olympiad Finishes Sixth at the Annual USC Invitational

Nina Krish, Sports Editor | January 20, 2025
Student Teacher David Pulanco leads the treble and bass choir through warmups at the beginning of class. “Probably my favorite thing about the students at Portola is how dedicated they are to the program,” Pulanco said. “They really love working for the music. They really love working hard to get the music done. It's a passion that I don't see a lot of in students.”

A Rising Voice: Student Teacher David Pulanco’s Journey to Portola High

Nicole Ferguson and Nina Krish | October 23, 2024
Senior Landon Durazo speaks with campus control staff member George Mares during lunch in the parking lot. “Some students get mad at the security guards because they don’t realize it is their job to tell students to get back to class,” Durazo said. “It gets good once you get to know them because they are interesting, and they are interested in stuff I am interested in.”

Safety First: Meet the Campus Control Staff

Olivia Ganes and Nina Krish | September 26, 2024
Dance 4 member and junior Ria Peregrin performs a solo part alongside period six Dance 3 and Dance 4 students to “Omigod You Guys,” an energetic jazz piece inspired by the dance from the film "Legally Blonde” at the inaugural Broadway Night on Sept. 13 in the theater. Broadway Night consisted of all performing groups on campus each showcasing their work from the last couple weeks in hopes to get more excitement for the upcoming performances during the school year, according to choir director Adrian Rangel-Sanchez.

Portola High’s First Broadway Night is a ‘Curtain Call’ for Success

Nina Krish and Zoha Syed | September 20, 2024
Pop performance group Calico, a part of Club II-V-I, waits until their time to run onto stage during pop performance group STRIKETHROUGH’s set. The two groups performed the rest of the set together, hyping up the audience with the upbeat nature of their songs.

Spring Festival Porchella Unveils Melodies in Motion

Nina Krish and Elise Ngo | May 24, 2024
Shortstop and sophomore Keyan Park bats during the third inning. The team was energetic and played cohesively throughout the game, according to Park.

Baseball’s Home Run Wins Series Against University High

Nina Krish and Elise Ngo | March 22, 2024
Senior Krishna Gade guards a Marina High player against advancing farther. “He was a big presence for us on the court,” head coach Brian Smith said. “More than that he was excited to be playing, he had basketball taken away from him, so he was enjoying being back out there.”

Senior Krishna Gade ‘Slam-dunked’ His Last Year Of High School Basketball With His Teammates After Facing Injury Repercussions

Nina Krish and Olivia Ganes | February 23, 2024
Wingstop’s show stopping fries are one of the highlights of the restaurant: “One of my favorite things is the seasoned fries,” sophomore Lee Gilat said. “Their flavors are addicting and you can always go back for more. They never get bland. It always tastes like something new is in your mouth even though it is the same flavor.”

Tiktok’s Most Popular Restaurant: Wingstop Bursts with Flavor and Excitement

Olivia Ganes and Nina Krish | February 22, 2024
After a recent knee injury, junior Samira Khan warms up before her back-day workout with deadlifts at LA Fitness in the Woodbury Town Center. “Because of sports mostly, [weightlifting] helped me develop a lot of my skills, be stronger and do better in everything in that area,” Khan said.

‘Set’ On Success, Portola High Students Take Up Weightlifting

Camille Clement and Nina Krish | January 26, 2024
English teacher and track coach Cale Kavanaugh who plays Ken was able to embrace a new side of him during this performance and performed prior to Treblemakers “I’m Just Ken”. “My other favorite scene was when I got to steal the presents from Santa, and I accidentally took a couple steps too early,” Kavanaugh said. “I decided to go with it and escalate the moment and make Ken grab Santa by the collar as he was stealing the presents and that was really fun.”

Barbie-tastic ‘Spirit of the Season’ Concert Captivates Audience with its Iconic Dance Moves and Jolly Spirit

Nina Krish, Staff Writer | December 21, 2023
Point guard and junior Brady Kim shoots a 2-pointer during the third quarter against Marina High. The Bulldogs put up a good fight the second half of the game, with the Vikings being a tough competitor.

Boys’ Basketball Faces Challenging Team During Preseason Game

Nina Krish and Olivia Ganes | December 19, 2023
Senior Belan Ngo reorganizes necklaces in the accessory section at Brandy Melville. “I just got a promotion, and now I'm the accessories manager, so basically I merchandise and market all the jewelry items, and I'm in charge of making sure everything looks good,” Ngo said.

‘Working’ It: Meet the Bulldogs Who Have Jobs

Camille Clement and Nina Krish | November 29, 2023
Skilled trade workers at the San Diego State University march across campus, conveying their frustrations with wages and the salary pay structure, according to KPBS.

Cal State Skilled Trade Workers Strike Across All 23 Campuses for Higher Salaries

Nina Krish and Elise Ngo | November 21, 2023
Freshmen Aman Talib and Paxton Shum paint rocks at Tuesday’s lunchtime activity set up by ASB. Students of all grade levels gathered in the quad to paint rocks with their friends.

ASB Promotes a Drug-Free Lifestyle Through Red Ribbon Week

Nina Krish and Elise Ngo | November 6, 2023
Izzy Macasero congratulates teammate and senior Madison Curran after scoring a point. “Mac has incredible energy and positivity that she brings onto the court,” head coach Eric Graham said. “She always has a smile on her face. She's always looking out for her teammates, doing whatever she can to lift them up and have them be successful.”

Junior Izzy Macasero Keeps Up Team Spirit De-‘spike’ the Odds

Olivia Ganes and Nina Krish | November 2, 2023
Chao spikes and attacks the ball down and scores a point in the second set with an assist from setter and junior Lana Nguyen. The girls will next play at Woodbridge High on Oct. 5.

Girls’ Volleyball Concludes Pre-League Season in Landslide Win Against Laguna Hills High

Nina Krish | October 4, 2023
English teachers Melissa Miller, Christina Han and Alex Carino were just hired this year. “I'm definitely getting immersed in refining my practice of teaching more,” Miller said. “And my overall goal is just trying to be as immersed in the school culture as possible.”

Icebreakers: Get To Know These Three New English Teachers

Kayleen Kim and Nina Krish | September 29, 2023
Taylor Swift fans anxiously await her arrival at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, eager to see the renowned artist perform songs from all of her “Eras,” or albums. “Truly, my best friend and I were joking that ‘this is the best time of my life,’” visual arts teacher Kearci Thompson said. “Besides our wedding, tied with our wedding! It was just so much fun.”

Highly Anticipated Summer Concerts Captivate Lifelong Fans of Drake and Taylor Swift

Elise Ngo and Nina Krish | September 21, 2023
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The student news site of Portola High School
Nina Krish