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
Tyler Kim

Tyler Kim, News Editor

Tyler Kim is the News Editor for his second year on the Portola Pilot. In the newsroom you’ll most likely catch him trying to convince writers to sign up for news stories, attempting to emulate the dialogue of Aaron Sorkin in his speech pattern and re-reading everything one last time to ensure that no pesky Oxford commas blemish his writing. Outside of the constant pressures of your typical Junior year, he finds solace in (somewhat) obscure arthouse films, print editions of the New Yorker, and his eclectic mix of podcast subscriptions. He also may or may not be a fan of irony.

All content by Tyler Kim
Online personalities have skyrocketed to success by streaming chess as an esport, particularly on the streaming platform Twitch. Most recently, “Mittens” — an interactive bot with a supposed ELO rating of 1 launched by chess.com in January — garnered the sport of chess new fans. In particular, the character’s tongue-in-cheek references to internet meme culture and appearances in humorous streams from leading chess personalities such as GothamChess and Hikaru Nakamura resulted in increased online attention to the sport.

Return of the King, Queen, Bishop and Rook: Explaining the Resurgence of Chess

Tyler Kim | February 23, 2023

Hear Me Out: Here is Why You Should Give Podcasts a Try

Tyler Kim, News Editor | January 30, 2023
The magical month of December is known to most students in Irvine as the season of Mariah Carey, final exams and one-too-many layers of clothing once the weather dips below 70 F. But to the various Home Owners Associations (HOA) around Irvine — responsible for maintaining the city’s pristine image of well-groomed lawns and tidy streets — the holiday season is the time to spruce up the bland, beige neighborhoods with lights and decorations that spread merry winter cheer. To celebrate the season, the following is a list of Irvine neighborhoods ranked by a judgment of stylistic and aesthetic elements.

Ranking Holiday Decorations Around Irvine

Tyler Kim, News Editor | December 16, 2022
S3 Episode 02: Seasonal Depression: What Does It Look Like and How Can You Cope With It?

S3 Episode 02: Seasonal Depression: What Does It Look Like and How Can You Cope With It?

Celine Lee and Tyler Kim | December 1, 2022
A careless student riding his e-bike streaks past the speed limit. The uncontrollable speed causes him to fall hard on the ground, unmoving.

[Photo] E-Bikes Race Over the Speed Limit of School Safety

November 17, 2022
Senior Danae Dang carefully pours molten wax into a jar. Careful attention to detail – in this instance a slow, steady pour to ensure that no stray bubbles form – is necessary to achieve a satisfactory final product, according to media technician Amanda Cramer.

Waxing Poetic: Students Pour Homemade Candles in First Makerspace Session

Tyler Kim and Aditi Salunkhe | October 27, 2022
Instrumental teacher Desmond Stevens conducts the symphonic orchestra. Developing a strong community of musicians is crucial as concerts require strong teamwork skills from all performers. “I think that [symphonic band] is a lot more supportive than other bands I’ve been in where they critique you if you mess up,” freshman Saurin Mody said.

Band and Orchestra Transport Audience ‘Across the Pond’ for Fall Concert

Tyler Kim and Aditi Salunkhe | October 23, 2022
Portola’s New Student Teachers Arrive on Campus

Portola’s New Student Teachers Arrive on Campus

Tyler Kim and Aditi Salunkhe | October 6, 2022
Sophomore Joanna Peng admires the sleek, modern design of iPhones. “I am a fan of Apple because of its simple and very beautiful design,” Peng said.

[Photo] Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Release of Apple’s New Product Lineup

September 19, 2022
Students walking or biking home from school often had the sun directly on their faces, and temperatures regularly exceeded one hundred degrees throughout the school day, according to CNN. In the future, there are many actions students can take to reduce the frequency of heat waves and stay cool. Taking initiative by voting for climate policies and ensuring that one is hydrated are two easy steps for students, according to science teacher Leanne Lupone.

[Photo] Record-Setting California Heatwave Disrupts School Activities

September 12, 2022
Although rock climbing continues to become increasingly mainstream, misconceptions about the sport itself continue. Climbing can often come off as being heavily strength-based, despite the fact that both juniors Rhea Sheth and Jacob Yun cite an athlete’s mentality as imperative to success. “You really have to be able to take one loss or fall and really maximize the amount of information youre getting from it and being able to improve on that information the most you can,” Yun said. “Although its a lot of strength, a lot of it when it comes down to it is being the smarter climber and being able to adapt quicker than the other people.”

Rock Stars of Portola (Quite Literally)

Tyler Kim and Tara Vatandoust | May 18, 2022
Over the 2021-22 season, boys’ golf has managed to remain consistent since the start. “I would say we’ve stayed pretty flatline, which is kind of just golf,” coach Wind Ralston said. “Golf is really up and down; you can get hot for a couple games and then cool down.”

Boys’ Golf Defeats Irvine High 206-241 in Final PCL Match of Season: Portola Proceeds to CIF

Tyler Kim, News Editor | May 6, 2022

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

Michelle Kim and Tyler Kim | April 27, 2022
Movie Musicals to Binge over Spring Break

Movie Musicals to Binge over Spring Break

Tyler Kim and Tara Vatandoust | April 1, 2022
While breaking news may grip you with fear of catastrophic thoughts that leads to endless checking of news, it is important to remind ourselves that news coverage is purposefully written in a more tense way at times. “You have to understand that what youre consuming is a product thats sold by a company that has an agenda,” senior Adam Mabsout said. “And that agenda does not align with your best interest, so you have to take that into account whenever you consume news.”

When the News Gets Overwhelming, It’s Okay to Take a Break

Grace Baek and Tyler Kim | April 1, 2022
As senior Amitoj Singh plans to leave for college in the fall, he hopes to leave a “Singh” legacy for younger brother and sophomore Arjit Singh. “In seventh grade, I tried to run for JTMS president,” Arjit Singh said. “I honestly had no idea where to start, I was like ‘How do I run? How do I start a campaign?’ so Amitoj definitely had to teach me every single thing about that, and I’ve been using it over the years.”

Positivity is a Singh Thing: Q+A with the Singh Siblings

Tyler Kim and Claudia Lin | March 25, 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
Portola administration anticipates that many students and staff will go maskless unless they are in a large area with multiple people indoors, according to assistant principal Amy Paulsen. “I’m already noticing when I see people off campus, large students together without masks gathering and going places,” Paulsen said.

Portola High to Lift Indoor Mask Requirement Following Updated State Guidelines

Tyler Kim, Staff Writer | March 14, 2022
Despite senior Jaclin Tirla’s large online presence with over 12 million views, not many people in her real life are aware of her digital fame. “I was proud of myself because I’ve never accomplished something so big,” Tirla said. “I told my mom, and she was shocked too because she didn’t even know I wrote books.”

Student Author Jaclin Tirla Finds an Ace Up Her Sleeve With New Book Publishing

Tyler Kim and Tara Vatandoust | February 25, 2022
It’s Time to Throw Out the Rotten Tomatoes

It’s Time to Throw Out the Rotten Tomatoes

Tyler Kim and Tara Vatandoust | January 25, 2022
Delegates from Portola High’s DECA chapter don their various medals after concluding the awards ceremony. “All of us were finalists, not everyone got awards but we all got a little pin that we got to put on,” Janolkar said. “I was very proud of Portola because a lot of us didnt know what we were getting into and I think Portola did really good.”

All Portola High Student Enterprisers Place as Finalists at DECA Conference For First Time in School History

Tyler Kim, Staff Writer | January 13, 2022
Green shrubbery has re-emerged onto the landscape of Limestone Canyon Regional Park, although the charred remains of some plants are still visible. “Everything is coming back now, and I can see that theres visibly more growth,” sophomore Justin Yi said after doing environmental volunteer work with the Irvine Korean Parents Association & Volunteer Committee. “You can see Mother Nature letting everything grow back a year after the fire.”

One Year After the Silverado Fire, What Has Changed?

Tyler Kim, Staff Writer | November 8, 2021
ASB vice president and junior David Kim waved the Portola flag before the start of the pep rally as students sat in their designated class sections.

Making the Homecoming Pep Rally a Reality

Tyler Kim and Arshia Sista | November 1, 2021
Who is Buster? A Look Into the Human behind the Bulldog

Who is Buster? A Look Into the Human behind the Bulldog

Kayleen Kim and Tyler Kim | October 18, 2021
The Bulldogs perform their end-of-game ritual, celebrating Portola’s 6-0 win streak as victorious cheers erupt from the students.

[Photo] Bulldogs Leave a Victorious ‘Legacy’ against Beckman High Patriots

September 28, 2021
Following the release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” controversy emerged regarding Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s comment. Chapek called the film an experiment due to it being the first franchise title to hit theaters without offering streaming services through Disney+, according to the Atlantic. Actor Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi, responded to these comments on Twitter saying, “We are not an experiment. We are the surprise.”

Martial Arts Meets Marvel in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

Claudia Lin and Tyler Kim | September 17, 2021
“Spider-man No Way Home will be the fourth film in Stage 4 of the MCU, while being the 3rd entry into the 3rd live action film series of the classic comic book character.

‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ Trailer Hits Home for Marvel Fans

Tyler Kim, Staff Writer | September 13, 2021
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The student news site of Portola High School
Tyler Kim