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Latest News
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Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25:
The PhoenixOnline is the school newspaper, published by the students of Kellenberg Memorial High School. Articles are posted throughout the school week to PhoenixOnline at kellenberg.org/phoenix. PhoenixOnline covers various Faith, Academic, Extra-Curricular, and Athletic stories and features at Kellenberg Memorial. PhoenixOnline staff contribute to the school journalism publication by conceiving stories, attending school events, conducting interviews, and writing and editing articles. Membership on the PhoenixOnline staff is open to all students in grades 6 through 12. Editorship positions are available by application.
PhoenixOnline Surveys
Throughout the year, we run open surveys polling our student body on some general interest topics.
PhoenixOnline Video Segments
Athletics News
Cheer Team Gets Fired Up at Nationals
April 7, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Mika Accardi ’25: On Wednesday, February 5th, the Varsity Cheerleading Team flew to Orlando, Florida for their annual trip to Nationals. The team spent six months preparing for their most important week of the season. They have performed in traditional and game day style. Their hard
Boy’s Varsity Track Earns the “All State” Title
April 3, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25, Victoria Vakser ’26, and Sophia Venturino ’26: On March 8, Kellenberg’s Boys Track and Field team competed at the New York State Federation Championships. The team was one of only two Long Island Schools to qualify for the 4×200 relay and the highest
Kellenberg Dedicates Softball Field to Coach Ken Conrade
April 3, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: On Saturday, March 22, Kellenberg blessed and unveiled the new Ken Conrade Softball Field. After 2 years of construction, Kellenberg’s new softball field, located on what was once St. John’s field, now serves as the center for the ever-advancing softball program at Kellenberg.
Varsity Wrestlers Make History
March 20, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’25: The Kellenberg Wrestling team made Firebird history from February 28 to March 1, having two wrestlers place top six in the New York State Federation Championship for the first time in program history. Seniors “Juggernaut” Jonathan Hoffman and Elijah “Conquering” Carrington traveled to
Activities News
Kellenberg Drama Club Presents “Guys and Dolls”
December 11, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Olivia Iorio ’26: From Friday November 22nd through Sunday November 24th, Kellenberg’s Drama Club put on their show stopping fall production of Guys and Dolls. Written by playwrights Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, Guys and Dolls takes place in 1950s Manhattan. It tells the story of
Alumna Encourages Young Entrepreneurs
December 2, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: Fresh out of college and already influencing students: On November 12th, KMHS Class of 2019 alum Reagan Mullaly gave a talk to the students of the Business and Finance Club. Ms. Mullaly, a marketing major who graduated St. John’s University just two years
Business and Finance Club Competes at Adelphi Apprentice Challenge
November 26, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: On Friday, November 8th, the Business club students, under the direction of Mr. Heitner and Mrs. York, competed in the Adelphi Apprentice Challenge. The marketing competition consisted of over 40 Long Island high schools with 250 students, with Kellenberg being the only Catholic
Speech and Debate Orates Their Way to Victory
November 20, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Delaney Clark ’25: On Saturday, November 9, the Speech and Debate Team took part in a competition against other rookie competitors of the Long Island Speech and Debate League. Five Kellenberg members participated in these debates: Jillian McLaughlin, Thomas Englese, Anna Prince, Emanuel Chamarro, and Callum
Apostolic News
Students Travel to Spain for Project Understanding
March 25, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: Kellenberg students traveled to Spain as a part of Project Understanding over February Break. Project Understanding is a Long Island based program that facilitates interfaith dialogue between Catholic and Jewish students on a shared pilgrimage. Students are nominated by their church or synagogue
Family XLT Serves As A Reminder of Hope
March 11, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: To begin the Lenten Season, Kellenberg’s ARK hosted Family XLT on Ash Wednesday, March 25. Unlike the other XLTs offered throughout the school year, the annual Family XLT (exalt, praise, and worship) gives students and their families a spiritual opportunity that transcends the
St. Joseph’s Mission Inspires A Spirit of Service
March 11, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Olivia Iorio ’25: During the week of February break, fourteen Kellenberg students demonstrated their Marianist commitment to service when they helped improve the Stella Maris retreat house and the motherhouse of the Sisters of Life in Montebello, New York. St. Joseph’s Mission has been going strong
Kellenberg Prepares for the Lenten Season
March 11, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Ryleigh O’Neill ’28: Last Wednesday, Kellenberg celebrated the start of the Lenten season with an Ash Wednesday prayer service held in the auditorium. Ashes taken from last year’s palms were placed in the shape of a cross on the foreheads of all the students and faculty
Last Week at Mass
Last Week at Mass: A Russian Orthodox Girl at Liturgy
March 12, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages!” With these words the lights came on, the choir sang a majestic “Amen,” and the Orthodox Divine Liturgy began. March
Last Week At Mass: Faith from a Child’s Eyes – St. Patrick’s Glen Cove
March 6, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: On the first Sunday of March, I found myself everywhere but with God. I was organizing arrangements for the Senior Trip, stressing over college admission decisions I hadn’t even received yet, and any other thing that was on my mind. I piled clothes
LWAM: The Opportunity of a Lifetime
January 9, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: “Are you interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister?” The bolded letters on the front of St. Thomas the Apostle’s Church bulletin made my heart jump. Though an 8-year-old me who received her Sacraments of Initiation and altar served for St. Thomas would have
LWAM: Trusting What I Can’t Change
December 3, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26: On Sunday, November 17, I decided to end my weekend with my home parish’s evening mass. This is the first mass I’ve attended fully in a while. As the priest started talking, it seemed like a normal mass, but as he continued it
But What Do I Know?
But What Do I Know
But What Do I Know: Words that Last
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: There is something beautiful about a blank sheet of paper— something that awakes the mystery and excitement inside a person born to be a writer until the depths of his soul are stirred and he picks up the pen. The potential, the emptiness waiting to be filled, the lines begging for a pencil to make contact, all cry out with the promise of what could be— and who has never been intrigued by the unknown? My pencil flies across the page, scribbling, scratching, creating worlds and dreams and stories. I am lost to another realm, oblivious to everything but the words forming on the paper before me. The room is silent. The only sounds are the sharp sssht, sssht, of my hand moving along the paper and the furious scratching of my pencil as I lean over my desk. Soon my paper becomes
October 15, 2024
But What Do I Know
But What Do I Know: The Musings of a Margin Scribbler
Article by Phoenix writer Paulina Barnjak ’24: Many students dread summer reading, especially when they have to annotate and highlight in the books. But let me tell you a secret – I LOVE writing in the margins of books. Some people may view this as a destruction of property or a waste of time. If they see an annotated book on the shelf or a hand me down book from a relative, they might choose a neater, nicer book to read. The annotations might get in the way of your perception of the book. But in my eyes, that’s good – a new perspective is great, sometimes even life changing. Billy Collins writes about these annotations in his poem, “Marginalia.” I can picture myself as the people within the lines of this poem, especially in the following excerpt: “One scrawls ‘Metaphor’ next to a stanza of Eliot’s. Another notes the
December 7, 2023
But What Do I Know
But What Do I Know: Vinyl is Final
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: Photo by Ryan Arnst on Unsplash Listening to music has always been a favorite pastime of mine where I can express myself. Many people share this hobby with me. In recent years, cultivating playlists or mixtapes has become very popular. Personally, my Spotify account has close to one hundred playlists with songs spanning countless genres and time periods. As much as I love being able to access my favorite songs at the click of a button, something about listening to an album on a vinyl record cannot be topped by digital listening. One reason I prefer records over a playlist is the storytelling aspect of an album. While this may not be true for all albums, some of them, such as David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,” are meant to be listened to as a
November 2, 2023
But What Do I Know
But What Do I Know: CheatGPT Is Cheating Humanity
Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’25: In our rapidly changing world, technology often outpaces our ability to adapt or even transform. This is profoundly evident in the case of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that has recently taken over the world of writing. It enables people to cheat the system and create new works of writing with minimal input. The dangers of this are great, and yet we continue to misuse it. ChatGPT presents a plethora of issues for writers, foremost is the question of authenticity. Writers of all walks of life from academics to employees can use the software of ChatGPT to formulate reports and essays easier than ever. They simply tell ChatGPT what they want to accomplish and it executes it in minutes. When utilizing ChatGPT, the user is tapping into a database teeming with information that the user has never known. If the use of ChatGPT becomes
September 28, 2023
Academics News
Students Dominate the Courtroom at Yale Invitational
September 25, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26: On September 13, the Kellenberg Mock Trial team set out on their first invitational of the year, the Yale Bulldog Invitational. The team skillfully delivered examinations of the witnesses, presented their case, and introduced evidence in their greatest attempt to prevail in the
Sophomores Attend Yearly Trip to Holocaust Museum
April 29, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26: On April 19, many of our sophomores attended the Holocaust Museum in Glen Cove to learn about the history, experience, and persecution of Jewish people during World War II. The students got a tour of the museum and heard the story of Arnie
Poetry Week Celebration Lifts Up Student Body
April 24, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: Kellenberg celebrated Poetry Week from April 15-19 as part of National Poetry Month. As the halls bustled, students scribbled lines from their favorite poems and penciled in finishing touches to their original pieces. The English department hosted an Open Mic on Thursday, April
Students Offered Construction and Project Management Course
January 31, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Cassandra Odudukudu ’24: From the construction of the Firebird Center of the Arts & Athletics, an innovative idea emerged: the Construction and Project Management Course. This course, run by Mr. Kenneth Conrade, is a fairly new elective at Kellenberg that started last summer with the beginning
Firebird Crosswords
The Renaissance
An important extra facet of the academic life at Kellenberg Memorial is the literary magazine, Renaissance. Published twice a year in Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer issues, it contains the creative writings and artistic talents of students from grades six through twelve.
The creative voice heard in the poems, short stories, essays, and art is often unheard in the day-to-day work within the classroom.
The Renaissance, Poetry: “Lilies” by Aren Saraydarian ’26
Lilies by Aren Saraydarian ’26 I see the sun arising high, A cloud not known in all the sky. Awaiting me a journey lies, A
April 6, 2025
The Renaissance, Poetry: “Death isn’t Soft, Oscar” by Erin O’Connor ‘25
I’ve heard that Death is soft so that when we hold it, it does not callous our hands. But when I play the guitar you
March 21, 2025
The Renaissance, Photography: “Soft Glowing Lamp” by Sophia Sontag ’27
“Soft Glowing Lamp” by Sophia Sontag ’27
March 21, 2025
The Renaissance, Art: “Memory of a Boat Trip” by Lauren Reyes ’26
“Memory of a Boat Trip” by Lauren Reyes, ’26
March 14, 2025
The Renaissance (Poem) “In response to ‘Woman! when I behold thee flippant, vain'” by Victoria Vakser ’26
Good sir! When I behold thee proud and tall, Full of thyself, commanding, seeking praise, Withholding all advance, all kindly phrase, Thy sullen mouth
March 14, 2025
The Renaissance: Artwork: “Overgrown” by Rosann Passalacqua
“Overgrown” by Rosann Passalacqua An impressionist painting of the memory of my grandparents’ backyard garden.
March 10, 2025