Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25:Read

Latest News
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

Boys Varsity Volleyball — Truly Perfect
Article by Phoenix writer James Watkins ’26: The Boys Varsity Volleyball team rose to the occasion and made Kellenberg proud finishing with an undefeated spring 2025 regular season. The boys met their goals due to their unstoppable persistence and dedication to see a new version of themselves on the other

Firebirds Defeat Chaminade for NSCHAA Championship
With a walk-off hit in the eighth inning, the Kellenberg Varsity Baseball team clinched a 3-2 victory over Chaminade on May 27 to claim the NSCHSAA League Championship title in a ceremoniously grand fashion at Hofstra University. In the bottom of the extra frame, sophomore Andrew Noe struck the clutch

Varsity Softball Plays for Something Greater
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: After a tiring three days of trimester exams, the Varsity Softball team put off their Easter Break for just a little longer to play in the Annual Benefit Game at Molloy University. The friendly non-conference competition was held to benefit the Long Island

Ladies Place 3rd at Intersectional Track Championship
Article by Phoenix writer PhoenixOnline Staff ’25: The Lady Firebirds were on fire at their Freshmen/Sophomore Intersectional Championship meet with some incredible performances across the board on Saturday, May 11. Marley Dyasi led the charge as Kellenberg’s top scorer of the meet, striking gold in both the freshman discus and
Activities News

Activity Breakfast Recognizes Student Involvement
Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26: A breakfast to recognize students who have excelled in various activities and clubs was held on the morning of May 7. The millennium room event, hosted during homeroom, brought together a group of talented and dedicated students whose hard work and commitment stood

ETV Produces Coverage on Pope Leo XIV
Article by Phoenix writer Natalie Lezcano ’26: On May 8, Kellenberg Memorial High School students and faculty buzzed with excitement as the papal conclave announced the name of the new pope, Pope Leo XIV. In the hour leading up to the announcement, a few faculty members were granted the opportunity

Famous Meteorologist Visits KMHS
Article by Phoenix writer Ryleigh O’Neill ’28: Bill Korbel, a weatherman from News 12 Long Island, spoke to the Aviation Club at Kellenberg. There was a turnout of very dedicated future possible meteorologists. Bill Korbel had many inspiring topics to speak on, such as meteorology, predicting weather, and the importance

Culinary Club Visits CFN
Article by Phoenix writer Kylie Mummendey ’25: On March 20th, juniors in the Culinary Club had an amazing opportunity to visit the Catholic Faith Network for a behind-the-scenes tour of the studio and a personal cooking demo from Monsignor Jim Vlaun, CEO of The Catholic Faith Network and host of
Apostolic News

ETV Produces Pope Leo XIV Coverage
Article by Phoenix writer Natalie Lezcano ’26: On May 8, Kellenberg Memorial High School students and faculty buzzed with excitement as the papal conclave announced the name of the new pope, Pope Leo XIV. In the hour leading up to the announcement, a few faculty members were granted the opportunity

Rain Dampens May Crowning, but Not Marianist Spirit
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26: Due to inclement weather, the annual May Crowning took place indoors on Thursday, May 29. On a typical year, the ceremony would be held in the school parking lot, with a fire truck from a local volunteer fire department assisting the chosen faculty

ETV Produces Coverage on Pope Leo XIV
Article by Phoenix writer Natalie Lezcano ’26: On May 8, Kellenberg Memorial High School students and faculty buzzed with excitement as the papal conclave announced the name of the new pope, Pope Leo XIV. In the hour leading up to the announcement, a few faculty members were granted the opportunity

Students Travel to Spain for Project Understanding
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
Last Week at Mass

Last Week at Mass: My Name, My Calling, My Purpose From God
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: Towards the end of my sophomore year, feelings of unproductivity and concern lingered in my mind. Distracted by the upcoming junior year, I questioned if I followed God’s plan for my life efficiently. Throughout my five years at Kellenberg, I’ve had the unique

Last Week at Mass: A Lady’s Lesson on Grief and Love
Article by Phoenix writer Amely Nuñez ’23: Serving as an altar server has granted me the opportunity to view the Mass in a very intimate and personal light. I have a perfect view of both the altar and the parishioners in the pews. Having seen thousands of congregants, one person

Last Week at Mass: Feeling Alone, I Went to Mass
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Garcia ’23: Recently, the future and what it holds has been on my mind. I thought once I turned in some of my college applications, my stress would be gone. I realized very quickly that it does not work that way. If anything, I felt

Last Week At Mass: A New Normal
Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: Everybody tends to have the same idea of what Mass is: going to a Church building on Sunday, sitting in a pew, and listening to a priest say prayers and preach his homily before receiving the Eucharist and going home. This past Sunday,
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

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

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

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
Academics News

Students Offered Construction and Project Management Course
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

Academic Achievement Recognized At Annual Awards Assembly
Article by Phoenix writer Keira Quigley ’26: On Tuesday, October 24th, sophomores, juniors, and seniors with outstanding academic achievements were honored at the annual Academic Awards Assembly. This assembly included students receiving pins for being on the Honor Roll, badges for having perfect attendance, and inducting new students into the

Students Shine In Advanced Labs Program
Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: The Advanced Labs Program is an after-school STEM group at Kellenberg where any high schooler in grades 9-12 can join in on college level labs that prepare them for what they will experience in college. “It made me appreciate science and all that
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, Artwork by Lauren Reyes ’26, “New Friends”
Artwork by Lauren Reyes ’26, “New Friends”
The Renaissance, “The Road of Friendship” by Theresa Stender ‘29
The Road of Friendship by Theresa Stender ’29 The road of friendship is difficult to know because sometimes it lasts a lifetime while sometimes it

The Renaissance, Artwork: “Pink Dogwoods” by ChloeAnn Cajuste ’28
“Pink Dogwoods” by ChloeAnn Cajuste ’28
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
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

The Renaissance, Photography: “Soft Glowing Lamp” by Sophia Sontag ’27
“Soft Glowing Lamp” by Sophia Sontag ’27