Cultivating Excellence….
Student Thoughts….
My experience at Portola's HGM program was very good. The environment was positive, and the classes are great. I am part of the Science Bowl, MUN, and Mathcounts teams at Portola, and all of them have been very fun to participate in. Everyone at Portola supports each other, forming a sort of family together. All of our students and teachers root for each other and know how to work together. My favorite club is likely Mathcounts, which is a math-oriented team event. I like it because it is a very rigorous program, providing challenges for everyone who joins. I learned all about number systems and geometry there.
One of the most memorable events, however, was the Science Fair. This was a semester-long project where you had to research, test, and write about an experiment. I worked on many organizers, tested my project about tennis balls affected by temperature, wrote conclusions and results, and finally created a poster to present. I feel that my project helped me learn a lot about scientific procedures and methods, while also teaching me physics and its underlying principles. My time here at this school has been great and has allowed me to do many fun things!
MATHCOUNTS…
MATHCOUNTS is a challenging, rewarding competition in which participants develop their problem-solving and mathematical skills. Ms. Paik leads the MATHCOUNTS team at Portola HGM.
Science Bowl Competition Team……
Science Bowl is both an elective and an after-school enrichment class. During these exciting science opportunities, participants learn about a variety of science topics. Portola has an award-winning Science Bowl team, led by Ms. Gramajo.
History Day LA is a yearly competition in which 7th and 8th-grade HGM learners choose a topic that is related to an overarching historical theme. Students conduct research and create a product that presents their findings.
History Day LA is led by Mr. Goldstein.
7th and 8th Grade HGM Science Fair…..
P
Portola HGM students participate in our annual science fair in seventh and eighth grades. Each student selects their own topic, conducts research, designs an experiment or study, and presents findings. All this is under the guidance of our HGM science teachers, Ms. Graamjo and Mr. Schmidt. Our Magnet Parents Association (MPA) coordinates logistics, supplies, and judges so that our HGM learners may have an authentic real-world science experience. After the campus science fair, top-scoring projects advance to the Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair, where many of our students earn top prizes and qualify for the state-level science fair.
2026 Science Fair
