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
Hannah Ko

Hannah Ko, Opinion Editor

Hannah Ko is the Opinion Editor for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she is excited to create meaningful opinion stories especially important to the Portola High community with the new Editorial Board. When she’s not hurrying to get interviews, she can be found on a run, at track practice, going to beaches or listening to Daniel Caesar (and the rest of her immaculate playlists).

All content by Hannah Ko
After a spur of marine biodiversity during the early Ordovician period, newly formed rings hovering over Earth’s equator are assumed to have induced a cooling period, leading to the second-largest mass extinction, the Ordovician-Silurian extinction, according to the Scholarly Community Encyclopedia.

Scientists Propose a New Discovery: Earth May Have Had Rings

Ruhi Samudra and Hannah Ko | October 8, 2024
Senior Zoe Wynn hits the golf ball with a swift drive swing. Wynn’s dedication to perfecting various swing techniques throughout her golf career allowed her to experience many wins. “I've seen Zoe at her highs, as when she won league as a freshman,” girls’ golf coach and history teacher Wind Ralston said. “I've seen her at her lows as well, when she maybe hasn't had the best round. But I would say she was my first golfer who came to me with a lot of skill initially which I was not used to. It's been great to see her grow and evolve as a player. Zoe is always fun, even when she may not have the best round, she still is having fun and her personality is contagious and makes other girls just want to have fun.”

Senior Zoe Wynn Commits to Williams College, Aiming for a Bright Future on the Green

Hannah Ko and Sruti Allani | October 2, 2024
Junior Luke Porter and senior Mathias Lee committed to the Naval Academy, and junior Abby Miller committed to the Air Force Academy to pursue their passions and desire to serve their country. “I'm honestly super excited to work in the military after graduating,” Miller said. “I know that might be a weird thing to say, but that is something that kind of drew me to the military academies: it’s knowing that after I graduate, I have a job for at least five years. I honestly think that jobs in the military are just so incredible, and they're so honorable. I don't really want an office job and being in the military is definitely kind of a way to find a job with a larger purpose.”

Answering the Call to Command: Meet Three Military Academy Commits

Hannah Ko and Maya Tedini | May 3, 2024
Juniors Jimin Han, Ruhi Samudra, Hailey Van, Viola Xie and Shriya Ravipadi pose between Morgan Hall and Li Ka Shing at the University of California, Berkeley, after presenting their biomedical solution presentation to a group of judges.

BMES Attends Annual BioEngineering Competition in Medical Research

Hannah Ko, Assistant Opinion Editor | April 17, 2024

Olivia Pino Steps Beyond the Home Base and Elevates the Softball Game into a Career

Hannah Ko | March 4, 2024
Sophomore Sophia Kim and Parker Abernathy from Foothill High gaze into each other’s eyes at the start of their romantic night at Winter Formal. Couples often match their corsages and boutonnieres, and the male often wears a tie that is the same color as their date’s dress.

Bulldogs’ Outfits Shine in ‘A Night Under the Lanterns’ Winter Formal

Hannah Ko and Parmin Zamani | February 5, 2024
Junior Charles Pan takes a photo with his family in Japan and recharges to expel stress obtained from school. “Winter break is an opportunity for me to make new memories, experience new sights and get myself ready for the new year,” Pan said.

Flying Into the New Year: How These Three Students Started the Year Exploring New Destinations With Family

Stephanie Hwang and Hannah Ko | January 17, 2024
Three Portola Pilot Alumni ‘Soar’ Through College Using Valuable Pilot Experiences

Three Portola Pilot Alumni ‘Soar’ Through College Using Valuable Pilot Experiences

Stephanie Hwang and Hannah Ko | December 4, 2023
Remaining steadfast in their friendship, seniors Jamie Lin and Ashley Tabayoyong are looking forward to completing their last year stunting together with the same bond they created over ten years ago. “When we started cheering, we actually requested if we could be on the same team just so we were comfortable in a new sport,” Tabayoyong said. “We wanted to have some grounding, something that we could hold on to, something that we knew that was familiar.”

Duo Jamie Lin and Ashley Tabayoyong Bond Through Gymnastics and Cheer

Hannah Ko and Stephanie Hwang | November 27, 2023
Wide receiver and sophomore Zoe Del Rosario attempts to evade two of Northwood High’s players as they try to pull her flag. To improve for future games, head flag football coach Julie Primero said that the team needs to work on their catching and communication with each other.

[Photo] Flag Football’s Tough Loss Shapes Goals for the Rest of the Season

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | October 2, 2023
3759X members and juniors Pranav Patlola, Martin Pan, Adrianne Chang and Audrey Kim from Fairmont Prep pose with their fourth place winning robot at the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas. Eight hundred teams qualified for the world championship out of about 20,000 states teams, according to Pan.

Robotics Team 3759X Builds its Way to World Championships

Hannah Ko and Maya Tedini | May 24, 2023
Senior and varsity lacrosse player Karam Khurana defends the goal through persistent stick checks and defensive tactics he learned from his teammates throughout the season. He said he looks forward to integrating these skills at SDSU. “I just think all of our losses during the season were setbacks because every time we lost it wasn’t like we got to get back up, but everyone just took it lightly,” Khurana said. “But I feel once we started to find our groove and get those wins, it really helped us out.”

Senior Karam Khurana Redefines the Game on SDSU’s Lacrosse Field

Hannah Ko | May 17, 2023
Enacting sensible laws that prevent mass shooters can help reduce gun violence in the United States. California has one of the strictest gun laws in the nation, requiring a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases and thorough background checks of purchasers, and California has a gun death rate that is 37% lower than the national average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Guns are killing people. So why are we looking away?

Hannah Ko, Staff Writer | May 1, 2023
Freshman Leila Ceranic does backstroke, the only swim stroke that is performed on the back and one of the four swimming styles in competitive swimming, during the varsity practice on Tuesday.

Leila Ceranic Makes a Splash As the Only Freshman on the Varsity Team

Kayleen Kim and Hannah Ko | March 31, 2023
HOSA club president and senior Varsha Raju and competitor and senior Joanna Rhim discuss potential test questions and analyze a case study before the forensic science event in Sacramento. Twenty-two out of the 30 members who competed in the regional competition qualified to participate in the State Leadership Conference and eight members qualified for the international level, according to Raju.

HOSA Club Participates in its First Year of In-Person Competitions since the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hannah Ko and Stephanie Hwang | March 30, 2023
Utility player and sophomore Maya McGuane receives a wide pass from attacker and senior Emma Amakasu and propels herself above the water to deliver a power shot at the 2-meter line during the last 2 minutes of the game. “Even towards the end when we knew we were going to lose with the giant gap and little time, we still played really hard, and we still made a bunch of plays to get one last shot off, and we never gave up, '' hole set and freshman Alexis Minasyan said.

Girls’ Water Polo’s Loss Marks the End of a Record-Breaking Streak

Hannah Ko | March 1, 2023
Students entertain themselves with poker games organized by the Bowers Museum staff in the main hall. Historical artifacts on display served as popular photo backgrounds for students.

‘Roaring Twenties’ Winter Formal Hosts A Casino Night

Kayleen Kim and Hannah Ko | February 13, 2023
Freshman striker Lorel Stringer dribbles the ball through a Patriot midfielder and prepares for a long pass into the penalty area.

Senior Night Tie Secures Girls’ Soccer as First in League

Hannah Ko and Ruhi Samudra | February 6, 2023
Students cheer on their favorite soccer teams to victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Countries in the top rankings, such as France, Morocco, Argentina and Portugal, compete for the prestigious championship title. The tournament has generated record-breaking audiences globally with an average viewership of 227.27 million per day, according to NBC Sports.

[Photo] Students ‘Kick’ Back and Relax to Root for their Favorite World Cup Teams

Aditi Salunkhe | December 13, 2022
Students and workers gather at Berkeley, California to protest unfair wages and working conditions as part of a larger UC-wide strike.

Ongoing UC Strikes Create Higher Education Academics History

Hannah Ko | December 12, 2022
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has grossed global sales of $331 million with the first day of its release, making it the seventh largest blockbuster movie from Marvel Studios, according to CBS News. Its new and unique heroine brings a fresh aspect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and represents a great victory in the film-making industry for women.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ ‘Claws’ Its Way into Viewers’ Hearts

Hannah Ko, Staff Writer | November 22, 2022
Media platforms such as Netflix and Hulu often weaponize and manipulate the trauma of real people for financial gain, failing to provide accurate consideration for these real people’s lives. “I feel like it is impossible to only want to inform. You need people who finance these shows and documentaries, and they want to see certain things,” science teacher Michael Tang said. “I don’t think we can ever achieve objectivity or completely good intentions. It’s so tied to money; it’s so tied to fame.”

Trauma Voyeurism: An Unethical Means of Gaining ‘Clicks’ in the Modern Age

Hannah Ko and Tara Vatandoust | November 7, 2022
All fourteen teachers in the math department, styled as Mario Kart characters, drive themselves to a second consecutive victory in the costume contest after last year’s success. The Halloween costume contest is an important competition for the math department and takes many months to plan, according to math teacher Shelley Godett. “We started talking about it the first week of school,” Godett said. “Because everyone wants dibs on a good costume.”

Staff Goes All Out for the Annual Department Costume Contest

Hannah Ko and Elise Ngo | November 4, 2022
While many overlook the importance of tipping workers, it is a crucial practice that acknowledges their hard work and services. Tipping culture prevents people from becoming bound to money and the prospect of its loss.

Tipping Culture: It’s Deeper than You Think

Hannah Ko, Staff Writer | October 28, 2022
Vintage slim sunglasses: Although sophomore Lisa Liu’s outfit might seem simple with her blue Lululemon tank top and shorts, she accessorizes her outfit with a pair of vintage slim sunglasses. Eyewear accessories are an easy way to complement and enhance a fit, according to Liu. “I wear sunglasses almost every day, and I feel that they can really elevate your outfits,” Liu said. “I love buying them because they really go well with basically any look.”

You Really “Autumn” Know These Fall Fashion Fits!

Hannah Ko and Elise Ngo | September 15, 2022
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The student news site of Portola High School
Hannah Ko