The Renaissance Challenge Winner: “Energy Doll” by Brandi Licato ’24
“Energy Doll” Illustration by Brandi Licato ’24
Kellenberg Memorial's Literary Magazine
An important extracurricular part of the student life at Kellenberg Memorial is our literary magazine, Renaissance. Renaissance members meet weekly to write, read, and discuss literature and the arts. Our magazine, published in print annually each Spring and digitally throughout the year, contains the creative writings and artistic talents of students from grades six through twelve. The creativity in these poems, short stories, essays, and art is often learned about in the day-to-day work within our classrooms, but here they are expressed by our contributing student writers and artists. If you would like to see our webpage, please search kellenberg.org/phoenix on your browser and find us on the menu options.
“A Valuable Bah-Humbug!” by William Hegarty ’23:
Christmas time,
Oh so many joys,
The time of earmuffs,
To block out the noise.
The corny songs,
The cringe-inducing imagery,
The all-expensive presents,
With a very hefty fee.
The whole season itself,
God, it’s awful!
It’s a corporate paradise.
No one’s being thoughtful
Of the sick, the lonely or the poor,
No one’s any longer sincere or pure.
There’s no such thing,
Not in this materialistic world.
Oh, and stop intruding on Thanksgiving!
It’s a great holiday without 106.7 playing!
I don’t want to hear Mariah Carey
While I’m cutting the turkey! I don’t want to be Merry!
So have a Merry Christmas
Building snowmen instead of feelings.
Another year of the same old business,
Buying gifts while the homeless are freezing!
Make it about Advent!
Forget the sales, and in lieu
Of gifts and money spent,
A very Merry CHRIST-mas to you!
The Giving Spirit by Daniella Lausev ’24
“Searching Skeleton” by Spiro Mihalatos ’26
“Trapped Inside” by Caroline Filocamo ’27
I sit in a chair, surrounded by darkness. I stand, after minutes— no, hours. Days, years maybe. I stand and see something; there’s a light in the distance. I start walking towards it, wanting to leave this ever lonely palace of darkness, but as I near freedom, the light drifts farther and farther away. I spend who knows how long, running to this light as I hope this is the end. But it’s not. It never is. I turn around and startle. The chair. It’s right behind me. I ended up right back where I started. I open my mouth to yell “who left me here,” but I cannot speak. I scream, and there’s nothing. I fall to my knees, praying to be let out of this prison, crying as I put my head in my hands and shake, realizing this is no nightmare, rather a prison of my own mind. I have created this; my own mind is the only thing trapping me here. I try to think my way out of here, but it doesn’t work. I slowly realize fear is the only thing keeping me here. And it’s terrifying.
By Katelin Lopez ’25
A man comes on the loudspeaker to let the 200 meter racers know that it’s time to come to the starting line. They organize us into groups by our speed. All of a sudden it hits us that we need to run. We pray a quick Our Father to help with our nerves and wish each other luck. While I’m waiting to run, the breeze grazes my shoulder and I shudder. You would expect spring to be warm, but most meets are pretty chilly. I keep my sweats on for as long as possible, but now there are only 5 heights before I’m up. As my sweats come off and I’m left with just a tank and shorts, the breeze starts to hit me. The group in front of me goes and I feel that familiar pit in my stomach start to form. I pray one last time and I get ready. The man tells us to step forward.“On your marks” he says, so I get into a down start position. Making sure my fingers and legs are positioned properly. Once we are ready he says “Get set” I left up my back, and then the gun goes off. As I stride the curve, I see some of the girls pass me, but I know I will pass them later. I keep my form a little loose, leaping into each step. After I get past the curve I’m pretty tired. At this point I just need to sprint the final 100 meters, easier said than done. So I bring my arms in and start moving them faster. 50 meters left and my vision starts to blur as it always does near the end of a race. Now I see ahead of me the girls that passed me in the beginning of the race, and this gives me enough strength to pass them.At this point my body is on the verge of giving out now, but the finish line is so close. So I muster up all the energy I have left and finish strong. I try to pass the girl in front but she beats me by less then a second. I came in 4th out of 6 girls. Now I try to gain my breath back and walk slowly back on the football field to get my things. My body aches, in my mind I know I will feel this race lingering in my body. I put my sweats back on and join the other girls.
By Victoria Vakser ’26
I have an uncle who despises squirrels.
He hates their little faces, the way their tail curls,
for they gnaw on his roof, chew through his power lines,
and scatter bits of acorns and other such finds.
Now just so you know I would like to make clear
that to get rid of these squirrels, nothing was to dear.
He set traps, he sprayed pest spray, but all to no use,
yet no matter what he would not call a truce.
One fateful morning, while on the highway,
he spotted a squirrel, smack in his way.
He would not hit the brakes, no, he pushed on ahead,
and soon that little nuisance was dead
“Autumn”
by Taylor Wolfe ’23
as the sun steps aside,
the temperature cools,
and the leaves sink into sleep,
autumn arrives.
“I Hate Fall”
By Sahara Arbouet ’26:(Read from top to bottom then read from bottom to top)
I hate fall
Did you expect me to say
I love it
Because I don’t
I hate it
I will never say
I love when the colorful leaves fall from the trees
Or when they fly around in the breeze
Hate the way the leaves crunch beneath my feet
I don’t
Like Thanksgiving or Halloween
I like holidays
But just not these
I like spring
Flowers and Bees
I don’t like
Jackets and sweaters
I love
T-shirts and warm weather
Spring is 10x better
Don’t say
Fall is the best
Because that’s a lie
I prefer spring
I don’t think I could ever say
I love fall
“Copper” By Erin O’Connor ’25 I don’t live in a world of |
“Energy Doll” Illustration by Brandi Licato ’24
“Mary, Mother of God” In celebration of the Month of the Rosary and the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Rosann Passalacqua, ’27