Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26:

Latest News
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26:
Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’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

Girls JV Volleyball Celebrates Championship Win
Article by Phoenix writer Justin McKenzie ’24: On October 29th, 2023, the Junior Varsity Lady Firebirds Volleyball team ended a stellar season with an amazing championship win against Sacred Heart Academy. The team was undefeated in league play and continued their dominant season with playoff success, winning both sets by

Soph Girls XC Wins Championship
Article by Phoenix writer Cassandra Odudukudu ’24: In a stunning display of athleticism and determination, the sophomores of the Girls Cross Country team won the Nassau and Suffolk Catholic High School Girls Sophomore Championship. On Wednesday, October 18, the girls traveled to Sunken Meadow State Park to participate in the

Varsity Football Victorious at Annual Whiteout Game
Article by Phoenix writer Caitlin Hanratty ’25: On Saturday the Varsity Football team defeated the Vikings of St. Joseph’s by the Sea by a score of 28 to 7. After surrendering a first quarter touchdown, Senior Kevin McGrory led the Firebird defensive effort with 11 tackles and 2 pass breakups

Girls XC Outruns Top Ranked Teams
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: On September 17, the Kellenberg Girls Cross Country team ran to an impressive victory at the Regis Invitational Varsity A Race. In winning the title, the team upended New Jersey powerhouse Morris Hills, Notre Dame Academy of Manhattan, and fourteen other teams. Runners
Activities News

Smashing Success for Gaming Club Tournament
Article by Phoenix writer Molly Driscoll ’26: On Friday, January 17, senior Christopher Gallegra took the initiative to organize a Super Smash Bros. Tournament for the Gaming Club. This event marked the club’s first esports tournament of the year. Students from all grades were welcome to compete in this inaugural

Health Science Brings Joy to the Elderly
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: Before Christmas, the Health Science club sent cards to senior citizens living in nursing homes via the “My Dear Friend Card Creating” program begun by Glamour Gals. This is an organization that seeks to raise awareness about elderly solitude, while also working to

Kellenberg Musicians Perform the Annual Christmas Concert
Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26: On the evenings of December 11, 12, and 13, musicians from the Latin School, Firebird, and Phoenix groups held their annual Christmas concerts. The concerts opened with a performance of the “National Anthem” in tribute to the many Kellenberg family members that serve

Andrade and Feliciano Form New Piano Club
Article by Phoenix writer Ryleigh O’Neill ’28: The Piano Coterie is a new club for pianists in grades 6-12 which gives the opportunity to share their talents as well as receive critiques from the other club members. The club is a great opportunity for pianists because there are no classes
Apostolic News

Annual St. Joseph’s Night Celebrates Father Figures
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: Fathers, grandfathers, and sons gathered on Sunday, April 28 to celebrate St. Joseph’s Evening of Recollection. This annual night is held for the young men at Kellenberg to gather with prominent father figures in their lives and enjoy an evening of prayer, dinner,

Mass Celebrates the ABC’s of Divine Mercy
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: On April 11, Kellenberg came together as a school community to celebrate the Mass for Divine Mercy, focusing on the love and mercy Christ gives to each of us in our lives. Father Dan spoke about the ABC’s of mercy in his homily:

Kellenberg Celebrates the Eucharist with Family and Friends
Article by Phoenix writer Brooke Oldenborg ’26: Last month, Kellenberg hosted two communion breakfasts for all grades to partake in. The first breakfast was held on March 17 for the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth graders, and the second was held on March 24 for Kellenberg’s sophomores and upperclassmen. The

Kellenberg Celebrates Lenten Mass
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
Last Week at Mass

Last Week at Mass: A Russian Orthodox Girl at Liturgy
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
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
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
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: The “Importance” of Sleep
Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: Photo by Bruce Mars on Unsplash Sleep – the one thing that everyone agrees they can never get enough of. Recently, all I’ve been hearing about is sleep. With the last trimester of the school year coming to a close and final exams creeping just around the corner, the one recurring topic of conversation that I hear is how nobody is getting enough sleep to be considered healthy. Science always tells us teenagers that we need 7-9 hours of interrupted sleep a night, with some studies going even further to suggest that this number isn’t enough. Anything less than the recommended amount is said to lead to definitive negative side effects, which can include difficulty concentrating on everyday events, reduced academic performance, and trouble remembering things. And yet, I, a sixteen year old teenager, feel fine with a very much less-than-recommended average of

But What Do I Know: An Animal Sanctuary Made Me A Vegetarian
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Garcia ’23: Plant-based. It’s the new popular phrase in the media utilized to avoid a negative connotation of the V-word. Yes, I mean vegetarian or vegan. The two words are not synonymous and have important differences; however, both involve moral, religious, or health reasons. A vegetarian is a person who does not consume meat. In contrast, a vegan is an individual who does not eat any food derived from animals and does not purchase nor utilize products made from animals, like leather. For my eighteenth birthday this past February, I chose to celebrate my birthday at a 360-acre animal sanctuary located immediately outside of New York called Tamerlaine Farm. Tamerlaine is owned by close family friends Peter and Gabrielle. They were motivated to become vegan as they became educated about the horrors of the food industry, such as veal crates, forced molting, and debeaking. These

But What Do I Know: The Case for Senioritis
Article by Phoenix writer Isabel Connolly ’23: As the first snow falls, so do seniors’ test scores. It’s inevitable. As we drudge our way through the late winter slump, high school seniors lose interest. It is a phenomenon colloquially termed ‘senioritis.’ The word is the bogeyman, waiting in the shadows of a senior’s first semester, ready to antagonize teacher and student alike. Senioritis is an all too real reality for myself and my classmates. There comes a moment where every senior has the epiphany that what they are doing now is simply a prelude to their future. It shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out why we seniors become disengaged. Especially for the class of 2023, high school has been turbulent. We have had to deal with the mundane in never-before-seen circumstances. We worked through it all with an end goal in mind, which, for my peers and myself, was
Academics News

Senior Writers Focus on Journaling
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.
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
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, Art: “Memory of a Boat Trip” by Lauren Reyes ’26
“Memory of a Boat Trip” by Lauren Reyes, ’26
The Renaissance (Poem) “In response to ‘Woman! when I behold thee flippant, vain'” by Victoria Vakser ’26
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

The Renaissance: Artwork: “Overgrown” by Rosann Passalacqua
“Overgrown” by Rosann Passalacqua An impressionist painting of the memory of my grandparents’ backyard garden.
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
Prose: “Childhood Christmas” by Ciara Bice ’25
“Childhood Christmas” by Ciara Bice ’25 Waking up on December 1 to find the Elf on the Shelf and open the Advent Calendar there is

Renaissance Views Powerful Documentary
Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’25: Photo credit: Mary O’Brien The Renaissance gathered together to view the 2015 documentary “I Come From,” a film