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
Zara Shirwany

Zara Shirwany, Staff Writer

 Zara Shirwany is a staff writer for her second year on the Pilot. She is excited to learn and share about everyone on campus, and can’t wait to get started on the first issue of the Portola Pilot. Outside the newsroom, you can find her on the stage performing with other Thespians on campus, or playing with her dog. She loves watching medical dramas and listening to showtunes in her free time. Zara can’t wait to work with the other amazing staff members and share the stories of the Bulldogs!

All content by Zara Shirwany
Physics teacher Ryan Johnson reads a poem from his phone at an open mic in Long Beach. “For me, it's a way of noticing the beauty in everyday life that I, for whatever reason, think that people aren't already describing as beautiful,” Johnson said.

Creativity in STEM: Ryan Johnson’s Journey with Poetry

Clara Ferreira Lopes and Zara Shirwany | June 1, 2022
Parts of Great Park Boulevard are closed due to waterpark construction, which began last July. Though the park includes replicas of old rides at the original Wild Rivers such as Bombay Blasters and Switzer Falls, most attractions will be new, according to the Orange County Register.

[Photo] Wild Rivers Waterpark Set to Open in the Heart of Irvine

Grace Baek | May 31, 2022
Junior varsity swimmer and sophomore Noam Garibi dives into the pool for the 200 meter freestyle. JV boys accumulated a total of 137 points, beating out Irvine High’s 33.

Swim Makes Waves at Last Dual Meet of the Season

Charlotte Cao and Zara Shirwany | April 28, 2022
When senior Juli Epps originally came up with the tattoo idea, she envisioned the flowers separately, but after discussing what she wanted with her tattoo artist, he designed the flowers into a bouquet. “At first I was just thinking three separate flowers,” Epps said. “But he arranged them in a bouquet, and I liked that.”

Flowers for Family: Senior Honors Generations with Tattoo

Clara Ferreira Lopes and Zara Shirwany | March 24, 2022
Junior Tessa Trieu prepares for a flipturn during the 200 Butterfly Relay at the March 3 Capo Valley swim meet, where schools from all over Orange County competed.

For Swim Captain Tessa Trieu, It’s All about Teamwork

Charlotte Cao and Zara Shirwany | March 15, 2022
Sophomore Nithila Francis, with the other fourteen students, were selected for the Southern California Vocal Association Regional Honor Choir, the most selected from any high school in Southern California.

Sophomore Nithila Francis Uses Music to Connect to her Past, Present and Future

Kayleen Kim and Zara Shirwany | March 9, 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
Actress Elaine Stritch, Stephen Sondheim, and actress Jane Russell converse on the set of Sondheim’s musical “Company” in 1971. The show proved to be a success for the composer, winning four Tony Awards that year, including the award for Best Musical.

Authentically Human: The Legacy of Stephen Sondheim

Zara Shirwany and Justin Tang | December 13, 2021
The installation “Together, but Apart” was the start of seniors Elyse Dudley’s and Mia Zappala’s artistic partnership. Seniors Kate Brooks, Julie Epps and Clara Ferreira Lopes stand inside the completed project to literally see the world through a different colored lens.

A Friendship Full of He(art): Seniors Elyse Dudley and Mia Zappala Strengthen their Bond Through Art

Zara Shirwany, Staff Writer | November 17, 2021
Senior Jamaal Walker belts “Once Upon a December” from Anastasia, which opened on Broadway in 2016 and is based on the 1997 film of the same name.

VAPA Students Step into the ‘Spotlight’ at Lunchtime Performance

Zara Shirwany, Staff Writer | October 12, 2021
One of the walls, flashing with blues and greys, shows an arched structure from van Gogh’s painting “The Bridge at Courbevoie,” a pointillism oil piece finished in July 1887, according to vangoghmuseum.nl.

Students ‘Gogh’ Visit the Van Gogh Exhibit

Zara Shirwany, Staff Writer | September 24, 2021
Val Estrada Brings ‘Hope’ to Students and Staff

Val Estrada Brings ‘Hope’ to Students and Staff

Zara Shirwany and Clara Ferreira Lopes | September 17, 2021
In the climax of the first season, Alina decides to stop hiding from the world and use her abilities to defend innocent Ravkans from the oppressive rule of General Kirigan, also known as the Darkling.

‘Shadow and Bone’ Captivates with Echoes of Today’s World

Kate Hayashi and Zara Shirwany | May 26, 2021
In accordance with Muslim tradition and to avoid distraction, most prayers including Eid Namaz are practiced so that the men and women are divided into separate sections. Prayer rugs are also often used to ensure that the prayer space is clean, if it is not in a mosque, and the patterns on these rugs usually depict religious themes to better connect with God (Allah).

Eid al-Fitr: Food and Festivities Break a Month of Fasting

Zara Shirwany and Naila Talib | May 14, 2021
To prepare for the newly created provisional business competition, Business Club president and junior Howard Zhang creates study guides for each “cluster” or category of questions and provides competitors with links to past DECA and FBLA tests with questions similar to those they might expect to see.

Portola Business Gets Busy with Local Competition

Naila Talib and Zara Shirwany | May 13, 2021

AP Testing Advice

Zara Shirwany and Naila Talib | May 12, 2021
In order to include a variety of books for the competition, each one was selected based on the genre and writing style. Some prominent titles included "Clap When You Land" by Elizabeth Acevedo and "Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful" by Arwen Dayton.

Students Compete in First Battle of the Books

Zara Shirwany, Staff Writer | March 26, 2021
Another contribution to the musical on TikTok was the creation of the “fake playbill" based off of key art by Jess Siswick. Creators collaborated, exchanged ideas, and produced the final product using the PLAYBILLder, a feature offered by Playbill.com that allows artists to create their own professional-quality playbills.

‘Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical’ Reinvents Theatre

Clara Ferreira Lopes and Zara Shirwany | February 9, 2021
One of Youth Action Team’s first at-home projects was an online summer volunteer camp that allowed YAT members to hear from other non-profits like Big Brother Big Sister and Hearts2Heroes and to assist them with other projects, like making care packages.

Student Volunteers Lend a Helping Hand from Home

Clara Ferreira Lopes and Zara Shirwany | January 29, 2021
It is believed that every zodiac sign has their own distinct traits. While one’s zodiac sun sign plays a large part in determining personality traits, the moon and the rising signs can attribute individuals with more specific traits.

Do Their Zodiac Signs Make These Teachers Compatible?

Emma Haag, Kayla Moshayedi, and Zara Shirwany | December 7, 2020
Junior Kate Brooks and senior Isaac Yang dressed up in creative costumes that also incorporated their masks to ensure they were both following CDC health guidelines.

Pandemic Scales Down Halloween Celebrations

Zara Shirwany, Staff Writer | November 6, 2020
The High School Experience : How Freshmen Can Get Involved in High School Life Online

The High School Experience : How Freshmen Can Get Involved in High School Life Online

Clara Ferreira Lopes and Zara Shirwany | November 5, 2020
Although the four houses may not exist anymore, ASB has already started hosting competitions between classes on the ASB Instagram page @portola.asb. Classes can earn points if they win, which will go toward winning the house cup at the end of the year.

Switch to Class System Leads to Boost in Spirit

Zara Shirwany, Staff Writer | September 24, 2020
On the left, instrumental music director Kyle Traska holds his pet chicken, Elsa, for whom he assembled a coop out of a neighbor’s old kitchen cabinet. On the right, junior Safah Faraz spends time with her four-month-old calico, Pepper, who is a clumsy yet lovable fool.

Feathers, Fur and Fins: Facing Quarantine with Newfound Friends

Kayla Moshayedi, Lauren Hsu, and Zara Shirwany | September 18, 2020
Junior Raksha Rajeshmohan played the lead role in the spring “Cinderella” musical. By watching and writing about other local theater productions, she was able to utilize her unique perspective to improve her performance on stage.

Junior Raksha Rajeshmohan Nominated for Theater Critics Award

Claudia Lin and Zara Shirwany | May 27, 2020
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Zara Shirwany