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
Aryan Mittal

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer

Aryan Mittal is a new staff writer for the Portola Pilot. In addition to writing articles for the Pilot, he looks forward to experiencing the art of journalism and the process behind news media. Along with writing for the Pilot, he runs the Portola sector of nonprofit ObjectiveCode. Off campus, he is probably playing tennis with his friends or developing an app for his community. He is thrilled to be part of the Pilot this year and hopes to have fun and learn new things.

All content by Aryan Mittal
During its hours of operation, Wall Writers Coffee is often filled to the brim with individuals studying or working. The large, white, modern tables make collaboration easy. 

Superb Study Spaces for Students

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | May 19, 2021
The Walgreens in Woodbury Town Center is a vaccination center. Fully vaccinated individuals have looser COVID guidelines to follow, according to the CDC.

CDC Updates Guidelines for Vaccinated Individuals

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | May 12, 2021
While the specifics of next year’s in-person learning model remain unclear, it is likely to be closer to traditional school, as pictured above.

Deadline to Choose Irvine Virtual Academy or Traditional Model is May 5

Kate Hayashi and Aryan Mittal | May 5, 2021
Although the awards ceremony was online this year, Academic Decathlon members still cheered each other on from their own homes.

Academic Decathlon Has its Best Year Yet

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | March 26, 2021
This raw image shows the bottom of the Perseverance rover against the red of the Mars ground. For more images, check out NASA’s Mars Perseverance raw image collection.

Perseverance Rover Takes a Grand Landing in Student Interest

Krisha Konchadi and Aryan Mittal | March 26, 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

Aryan Mittal and Bia Shok | February 10, 2021
For students in IVA, the school campus is replaced by a desk in their own home. Students can learn their core subjects without the inherent COVID-19 risk that in-person campuses present.

Hybrid Loses Students to IVA

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | January 22, 2021
Playing team-oriented sports while being physically distanced can create some disconnect between team players. “I think the biggest thing would be playing against each other as a team and going to the games and having that adrenaline rush and experiencing the program and playing in a competitive environment, as opposed to just getting better,” junior varsity volleyball player and sophomore Sarika Menon said.

Orange County Moving into Purple Tier and its Impact on Student Athletes

Akshay Raj, Krisha Konchadi, Aryan Mittal, and Erin Choi | January 20, 2021
Gov. Newsom announced that California residents can now opt in for COVID-19 exposure notifications through the app “CA Notify.” According to Newsom, the app does not track location and is designed to help slow the transmission of COVID-19.

Newsom Issues New Lock-down Order

Aryan Mittal and Erin Choi | December 18, 2020
As the first Silverado fire spread towards Irvine, many communities were forced to evacuate and Portola High shut down for three days. The closure pressured students and teachers from all departments to reschedule plans and work distribution.

Silverado Fire Pushed Back Curricula

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | December 7, 2020
With Black Friday deals already rolling in, its counterpart Cyber Monday is just around the corner as well. While both days share a similar purpose, it’s important to know the differences to get the most out of the annual events.

Black Friday vs Cyber Monday – What’s the Difference?

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | November 24, 2020
How to Stay Safe during Thanksgiving

How to Stay Safe during Thanksgiving

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | November 24, 2020
The Congressional App Challenge attracted record numbers of students, who invested unprecedented hours of code into almost 2,000 apps.

Congressional App Challenge Reports Record Participation

Ryan Jung and Aryan Mittal | November 20, 2020
Teacher Shelley Godett and her daughter and math student, Maya Godett, stand together in front of a festive Christmas tree.

Shelley and Maya Godett Have a Parent-Teacher Relationship

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | November 12, 2020
Various Portola High teachers share their amusing Zoom-related stories and why they made them laugh. While virtual learning may cause a few mishaps and difficulties, these teachers believe it is worth it to keep students and staff safe.

Teachers Share Their Funny Zoom Moments

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | November 11, 2020
Vegetation and small structures in neighborhoods like Portola Springs and Woodbury East have been slightly damaged and misplaced due to heavy winds.

[Photo] Silverado Fire Prompts School Closures and Mandatory Evacuations

Krisha Konchadi, Front Page Editor | October 26, 2020
Students prepare themselves for grocery shopping with the help of a collection of videos created by special education department co-chair Melody Resendez. The videos include specific instructions and helpful visuals to make the process as thorough as possible.

Special Education Shops From Home

Aryan Mittal, Staff Writer | October 8, 2020
According to a 2017 study published by Occupational Medicine, longer working hours are associated with depression, anxiety and sleep issues. This research helps explain why students often feel exhausted and overwhelmed after each virtual school day, in which they have few breaks and the learning is continuous.

Five Minutes Is Not Enough: Why the Distance Learning Schedule Requires More Breaks

Charlotte Cao and Aryan Mittal | September 21, 2020
Senior Matthew Kwon presented Integral, an app he helped develop, at Washington, D.C. after winning the Congressional App Challenge last year.

Edison Energy Names Senior Matthew Kwon Edison Scholar

Kate Hayashi and Aryan Mittal | May 21, 2020
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The student news site of Portola High School
Aryan Mittal