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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
Athletics News
Boy’s Varsity Basketball Team Defeats St. Anthony’s
January 22, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: On January 5th, the boy’s Varsity basketball team opened up league play in convincing fashion with a 61-47 win over Saint Anthonys. Junior Stephen Kiernan led the team with 25 points, scoring 14 in the 4th quarter. Juniors Jordan Leach and Brenden Gharagozlo
Boy’s Winter Track Dominates St. Anthony’s Tracks
January 18, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Caitlin Hanratty ’25: Over the Christmas break, the boys track and field team tore up the Armory and St. Anthony’s tracks with amazing performances. At the Christmas Classic, Daniel Carsey and Kevin O’Keefe took home gold and bronze medals respectively in the 55 meter hurdles. Evans
Kellenberg’s Varsity Hockey Team Celebrates Ambitious Win Against Xaverian
January 11, 2024
Article by Phoenix writers Caitlin Hanratty ’25 & Paulina Barnjak ’24: Kellenberg Varsity Hockey won against Xaverian by a score of 6-4 on Monday, December 4th. The boys went down early in the first period, giving up 3 goals. However, the second period was dominated by the Firebirds, coming back
Coach Conrade Inducted into the Coaching HOF
January 10, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: Kellenberg Memorials’ very own Mr. Kenneth Conrade has been inducted into the CHSAA Coaching Hall of Fame. Mr. Conrade has been coaching the Girls Varsity Softball team for 32 years, and has been head coach for 30. He has since then brought the
Activities News
Pipe Band’s Debut at St. Patrick’s Day Parade
April 16, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’25: For the first time, the Kellenberg Memorial Pipe Band marched their way into the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 16. The Pipe Band sent ten of their players to march in the parade. Joining the students were Mr. Collins and
Harvard Invitational Hosts Speech & Debate Team
February 28, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: The Kellenberg Speech and Debate Team competed at the annual Harvard Invitational Tournament against top schools from all over the country from Friday, February 16 through Monday, February 19. Junior Caroline Malewski engaged in the Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate. Here, Caroline scored a
Forensics Club Cracks the Case!
February 15, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26: On Thursday, February 8th, Kellenberg’s Forensics Club met in the Chemistry Lab to discuss arson. For the past couple weeks, the club has been learning about the forensic approach to this topic, and their studies all came together during this meeting. Thirty club
Students Attend Molloy Business Course at Kellenberg
January 31, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Allison Cortese ’26: This past fall, Kellenberg partnered with Molloy University to make two college business courses available to students in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. These courses are entitled Principles of Management and Principles of Marketing. Classes were held at Kellenberg on Monday and
Apostolic News
Students Gather in Prayer for Rosary Prayer Service
October 8, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Brianna Duroseau ’26: In honor of the Virgin Mary, Kellenberg held its annual Rosary Prayer Service on Friday, October 4. October is designated as a month to pay tribute to Our Lady of the Rosary. Kellenberg embraced this tradition as students and faculty united in prayer.
Kellenberg Celebrates Mrs. Dougherty’s Centennial
September 26, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Caitlin Hanratty ’25: Kellenberg celebrated a very special 100th birthday earlier this month on September 11th. Mrs. Dougherty, a long time friend of Kellenberg, turned 100 this past September 11th. To celebrate, Bro. Kenneth Hoagland, S.M., planned a special birthday event for her. Early that morning,
Kellenberg Missionaries Serve Overseas
September 25, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26: This past summer, two groups of missionaries were chosen to go to Lourdes, France to help the pilgrims who traveled there in hopes of not only physical but spiritual miracles. The trips left on June 26 and July 10, and for two weeks
Students Celebrate Salvation with the Triumph of the Cross
September 19, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: Singing the entrance hymn, the Gregorian Consortium opened this year’s Triumph of the Cross prayer service. Members of the student body joined in prayer and exaltation as they watched the service from their classrooms. The familiar and beautiful song “At the Cross” initiated
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: 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
But What Do I Know
But What Do I Know: Crush the Evil Social Media
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: Voltaire said “Crush the evil thing.” It sounds cooler in French, but I don’t know French. Voltaire wickedly ridiculed all of the corruptions and evils of his time. No doubt, social media would be on his radar if he lived today. Since its beginnings, social media has ingrained itself into society. There has been a lasting obsession with constantly posting updates about our lives on some sort of platform, whether it be a relationship status on Facebook or a picture of your last vacation on Instagram. However, there has been a decline in this obsession. With Twitter on a fast decline and TikTok’s existence being in jeopardy, there has been a rising conversation about social media’s impact on society within the last ten years. While some might mourn the loss of their favorite apps, I will honestly be relieved with social media’s downfall.
June 6, 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: “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 Santag ’27
“Soft Glowing Lamp” by Sophia Santag ’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
The Renaissance: Poetry: “A Glimpse of 2013” by Danielle Kercy
“A Glimpse of 2013” by Danielle Kercy Winner of The Renaissance Challenge: “Memory” The specific scent of sanitizer stings my nose, and I am only
March 10, 2025