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
June 4, 2025
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
June 4, 2025
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
June 2, 2025
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
May 30, 2025
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
June 3, 2025
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
June 2, 2025
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
May 13, 2025
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
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
Apostolic News
Firebird Families Share Christmas Cheer
December 11, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: With prayer, festivities, and the school’s first tree lighting, Christmas at Kellenberg brought the whole Firebird family together to celebrate the coming holiday. The event, held on the Saturday before the second week of Advent, began with a mass and continued with caroling,
Students Deck the Halls for Advent
December 11, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Molly Driscoll ’26: On Tuesday, December 3rd, Kellenberg students and faculty participated in the annual Christmas decorating event. Everyone wore Christmas sweaters to embrace the holiday cheer. Christmas music filled the halls as students and faculty enthusiastically decorated classrooms. Before Thanksgiving break, each homeroom came up
Students Renew Faith at XLT
December 10, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Kailyn Kelly ’26: On December 4, 2024, Kellenberg celebrated XLT and had the pleasure of hearing Mrs. Robinson speak. XLT is held once a month on Wednesdays to spend time with God in adoration among the Kellenberg family. It is a wonderful opportunity to surrender to
GIC Teaches Students the Joy of Giving
December 10, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: For high school students across the country, the “season of giving” was taken to a new level. This year, twenty-four Catholic high schools participated in the annual Great Ignatian Challenge, including our very own Kellenberg Memorial. For eight years, Great Ignatian Challenge (GIC)
Last Week at Mass
Last Week at Mass: My Name, My Calling, My Purpose From God
October 17, 2023
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
January 18, 2023
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
October 26, 2022
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
April 1, 2022
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
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
Poetry Is Alive and Well at Kellenberg
June 4, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Keira Quigley ’26: Poetry Week, an annual week-long event sponsored by the English department, was held from April 28 to May 2 this year. During Poetry Week multiple events were hosted by various English Department teachers after school. Mrs. Tochelli hosted an event called Rhyming Rendezvous,
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
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”
June 2, 2025
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
June 2, 2025
The Renaissance, Artwork: “Pink Dogwoods” by ChloeAnn Cajuste ’28
“Pink Dogwoods” by ChloeAnn Cajuste ’28
April 6, 2025
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