Article by Phoenix writer Caitlin Hanratty ’25:
Latest News
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25,
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25:
Article by Phoenix writer Eva McLaughlin ’26:
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
Culinary Club Visits CFN
March 27, 2025
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
Business, Finance, and History Clubs Visit Financial District
March 25, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: Kellenberg students visited Manhattan’s famous financial district on March 13. This trip included members of the History, Business, and Finance Clubs to learn more about their fields. The day began with a tour of Trinity Church located opposite Wall Street. The church is
Celebrando Lingua Semaine!
March 20, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Kailyn Kelly ’26: During the week of March 2, Kellenberg Memorial celebrated Language Week, a worldwide initiative recognizing and promoting the importance of languages and cultural diversity. Language week consists of parades, cultural performances, and international potlucks held across the globe. Kellenberg celebrates language week by
Eco-Friendly, Budget-Friendly: Entrepreneurship Club Invests in Hydroponic Tower
March 20, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: For two months now, the Entrepreneurship Club has been in the process of growing its own garden right in room 203. Where did they place the plots with all the soil? They didn’t need any! The plants, which include basil, arugula, kale, rainbow
Apostolic News
Kellenberg Celebrates Lenten Mass
April 16, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Cassandra Odudukudu ’24: On Wednesday, March 14th, the Kellenberg community gathered to commemorate their annual Lenten Mass. All grades 6-12 came together to honor the season of Lent. The Lenten Mass serves as a celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ and a reminder of
Students Rally at March for Life
February 28, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Barnjak ’24: On January 18, a representative group of 32 Kellenberg juniors and seniors traveled on a 5 hour bus ride to Washington D.C. to participate in the March For Life. The students began their trip with a visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial
Deacon Harold Inspires Students with Wisdom on Relationship, Intimacy, and Holiness
February 27, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26: Guest speaker Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers addressed the student body in two separate presentations on Thursday, February 15. Throughout the dual-assembly, Deacon Harold touched upon the topics of love, relationships, marriage, and family aiming to connect with the young crowd by making the discussion
Kellenberg Holds the Second XLT Of the New Year
February 8, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Noumair ’24 The second XLT of the new year was held on January 24. Mr. Beyrouty was the speaker for this month’s XLT. He spoke about his journey to where he is now, and how his faith has helped him get through some of the
Last Week at Mass
LWAM: Make the Time
October 10, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Kevin Kirley ’25: Walking into St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre on Sunday, September 24 was a cathartic experience. I didn’t expect the church to be as full as it was: there were dozens of families, Moms bringing their kids from a soccer game, filling up
Last Week At Mass: Goat or Sheep?
December 7, 2023
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: Something I have always struggled with is judgment. Especially in this society of scrutiny, I find myself passing judgment on others far too often. I would deem somebody bad for spreading rumors or for breaking rules. I would deem someone good for helping
LAST WEEK AT MASS: “Ja te volim.”
November 30, 2023
Article by Phoenix writer Paulina Barnjak ’24: “Ja te volim.” With those three words, I am assured that I am loved, in this world and the next. I think it’s universal that society does not know how to handle the loss of a loved one. Even as Catholics, as we
Last Week at Mass: With Eucharist in Hand, I Knew God’s Plan
November 1, 2023
Article by Phoenix writer Caitlin Hanratty ’25: While many of my peers struggle to know what they are meant to do with their lives, my problem was that I naively assumed I had it all figured out. That was until my junior year of high school. In the past few
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
Senior Writers Focus on Journaling
February 27, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Michaela Dennean ’25: “Staring at the blank page before you…” Above is easily one of the most instantly recognizable lyrics of the 2000s. “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield acted as a powerful ballad for young and old, and it continues to be a hit today, over twenty
Junior History Trip Sparks Appreciation for the U.S.
October 30, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Mary O’Brien ’27: From Washington’s Headquarters to West Point Academy: On October 18th, the class of 2026 made their own trip down the Hudson on an academic journey to broaden their knowledge of American History. Leaving Kellenberg at 6:15, the 42 sleepy juniors made their first
Students Send Shivers Down Your Spine at Fright Club
October 22, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’25: On October 22, Bro. Peter Sennett, S.M., held a meeting for the creative writing contest Fright Club in room 122. Middle and high school students alike joined to share their ideas for horror short stories and get assistance from Bro. Peter to make
Kellenberg Seniors Attend Molloy Common Read
October 15, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Mika Accardi ’25: On Wednesday, October 9, ten Kellenberg seniors had the opportunity to visit Molloy University for Molloy’s annual freshman Common Read. Each year, Molloy assigns a book to their incoming freshmen class, after which the author of that book is invited to give a
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