Pihi.info, an Instagram account created to distribute the latest in school policies, class schedules, and other important information to the students of Pioneer, has been around for more than a year now. Now that creator Gabby Pacifico has moved on to the University of Michigan, ownership of the account has been transferred to juniors Josie Hodges and Alysa Zhu for the upcoming academic year.

At the beginning of last year’s virtual school year, confusion surrounded students in regards to how classes would run in the unprecedented environment. On a whim, Pacifico created the Instagram account, pihi.info, and it quickly gained popularity. The new account brought a calming presence to the general panic and continued to give students much-needed information throughout the year. But as the school year came to an end, questions arose about the future of pihi.info. Specifically, who would be in charge of content creation in the following year? 

“The selection process mainly consisted of a couple of conversations with Gabby and the making of a couple of videos,” said Hodges. “There was a vote done by the followers, and ultimately Alysa and I remained …We told Gabby we wanted to run the account together, and she approved.”

Interactions with Pacifico were amicable for the new owners.

“Gabby was incredibly friendly and supportive whenever I had questions. She…prepare[d] us pretty well for running [the account]. She gave us tips, where she got her information, where to look for information, and some more housekeeping items,” said Zhu.

The platform has continued to be a useful and engaging source of school information under Hodges and Zhu.

“I love how there’s constant informational updates about what’s happening at Pioneer and what needs to get done,” said senior Xander Salsitz. 

Indeed, pihi.info routinely posts updates about issues that interest students, as well as general information that any high schoolers should know. Hodges and Zhu also engage their followers through opinion polls, along with the chance for students to reply to the account’s Instagram stories. Similarly to Pacifico, the current runners posted an informative video before the start of school that was widely appreciated.

“I really like the creativity of every post, especially the back-to-school reminder video,” said Pioneer junior Sahar Aghaei. “It provided all the information that freshmen and sophomores should know for going into the building for the first time. It’s useful even for me, a junior, since I only got to be in the building for half a year.”

Hodges and Zhu realized that by running pihi.info, they could help to remedy the lack of information many students are faced with. “I wanted to be part of the solution for that, and help share information,” said Hodges.

In general, Hodges and Zhu have tried to maintain the way the account has run since its creation. Aside from keeping the signature profile picture and purple theme of their posts, Hodges and Zhu try to “match the feed and energy that Gabby had,” said Zhu.

There is only one major change from last year’s account to the current pihi.info.

“Honestly I think the biggest difference between Gabby’s pihi.info and Alysa and I’s is that we’re running it together and not alone,” said Hodges.

Much like Pacifico, too, they make it a priority to address direct messages, or DMs, from students. 

“Josie and I really enjoy helping people out and it’s never a chore to respond to people or make posts,” said Zhu. 

The effort that Hodges and Zhu routinely put into pihi.info is a large responsibility, even with a team of two.

“Usually, we just divide the workload by whoever is free when the information needs to be shared, or when questions need to be answered. We both have pretty busy schedules, but by texting and talking often, we’ve been able to make sure that we’re providing the best information possible to our followers,” said Hodges.

“Honestly, I don’t know their workload, but I imagine it must be a lot,” said Salsitz. “Any kind of regular posting is awesome and deserves recognition.”

Hodges and Zhu have made huge efforts to help the Pioneer students. In her future, Hodges wants to pursue a career in chemistry or medicine. Zhu wants to study business in college before moving to New York or Boston. 

But until then, Hodges and Zhu plan to help their fellow students through the helpful and informative Instagram account: pihi.info. 

“We’re both planning on continuing to run the account next year, but we’re hoping to get some other students involved, so they’re prepared to take over when we graduate,” said Zhu. “We want to continue the pihi.info legacy.”