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Latest News
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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
Drama Club presents
You Can't Take It With You
The College Placement Office
Kellenberg's Crew Team
Athletics News
“Flight of the Firebirds” Rises from the Ashes
Article by Phoenix writer Mika Accardi ’25: Kellenberg is very happy to announce that Flight of the Firebirds, the official Kellenberg Podcast, has returned. After some time and much planning, the podcast was brought back to life by Mr. Beyrouty and senior Amelia Caban. Flight of the Firebirds explores all
Spirit Week Excites Student Body
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: September 24 to the 27 were especially lively days at Kellenberg, where the Firebird community displayed their school spirit by supporting the fall student athletes. Throughout the week, videos shown on the morning announcements fired up the student body for the annual pep
Kellenberg Prevails at Annual Homecoming Game
Article by Phoenix writer Mika Accardi ’25: On Saturday, September 28, The Varsity Football Team defeated St. Peter’s High School by a score of 14 to 7 in the exciting annual Homecoming game. Despite the rain, the Firebird family gathered on Mitchell Field eager to show support for the team.
Girls Golf Finishes Season With Eight Wins
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: Kellenberg’s Girls’ Golf team concluded their season in second place with a record of 8 wins and 2 losses. In the semi final playoffs, the girls beat Sacred Heart by 4 ½-½ in a thrilling match. Senior Cat Slade and junior Bridget LaRosa
Activities News
KM Alumna from FIT Chats Fashion
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: On October 30, the fashion club hosted a guest speaker to discuss her experiences in the world of fashion. Moderator of the Fashion Club, Mrs. Delbrune, invited former student Charlotte D’Alessandro ’20 back to Kellenberg to discuss her experiences in the fashion industry
Students Dominate the Courtroom at Yale Invitational
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
Students Celebrate Bloomberg Certification
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: 20 students from the Junior and Senior classes have completed their Bloomberg certification from Molloy University this year. The Bloomberg Certification Program is an after-school course offered through Molloy University to members of the Business and Finance club. Interested students met after school
Blue Breaks Gold’s Win Streak at Annual Blue & Gold Show
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: The crowd was on the edge of their seats, anxiously waiting for a winner to be announced. Although the Gold team had a chance of winning a 4-peat victory, the Blue team secured their win with an overall score of 2,069,– as opposed
Apostolic News
Kellenberg Celebrates Christmas Vigil Mass
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: On Sunday, December 24th, Kellenberg held the Christmas Vigil Mass to celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. Annually, the families of faculty, staff, and students join together on Christmas Eve at Kellenberg to celebrate the coming of Christ. Before the
2023 Advent Prayer Service
Article by Phoenix writer Kate Murphy ’25: Kellenberg celebrated the start of the Advent season this year, as usual, with the Advent Prayer Service. Spanning over the course of two days in early December, the Advent Prayer Service is a Kellenberg tradition. Made up of a video presentation and a
25 Tons Donated to Food Challenge
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26: A total of 51,212 pounds of food was donated to the Great Ignatian Challenge. The National Honor Society alone donated 10,000 pounds of contributions. Kellenberg was in the spirit of giving from November 5th to the 21st as it began its participation in
Junior CROSS Prays For Peace
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: On Friday, November 3rd, members of Junior CROSS attended a Prayer Service for Peace at the St. Rose of Lima Church in Massapequa. After classes on Friday, twelve Juniors traveled to St. Rose of Lima to reconnect and learn more about their faith.
Last Week at Mass
LWAM: Make the Time
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?
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.”
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
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: Words that Last
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vasker ’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
Junior History Trip Sparks Appreciation for the U.S.
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
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
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
Students Dominate the Courtroom at Yale Invitational
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
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.
Poem “The Gossamer Curtain” by Victoria Vakser, ’26
Sometimes Time seems but a sad joke Millions of tiny pictures Bright, flashy, Cheap. All crowded Into a frame which reads, Your Life. But if
The Renaissance Challenge Winner: “Energy Doll” by Brandi Licato ’24
“Energy Doll” Illustration by Brandi Licato ’24
The Renaissance Challenge Winner: The Energy of The Mind by Veronica Belanger ’24
The Energy of The Mind By Veronica Belanger ’24 Today and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, tired I find myself running on the hamster
Poem “Distance” by Elena Brutus ’24
Distance By Elena Brutus ‘24 As I crossed the border I knew This was the last time I would see you She told
“Love’s No Streaming Service” by Katelin Lopez ’25
Love’s No Streaming Service Feeling blue lately without you but looking at this screen reminds me of you. It’s 3 A.M. The distance between
“Real Things” by Riley Fallon ’26
“Real Things” by Riley Fallon ’26 Real things take time Like the flower that grows From a seed In the ground It won’t sprout overnight