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

Spotlight on Gregorian Consortium
Spotlight on Woodworking Club
Spotlight on Culinary Club

Athletics News

Varsity and JV Wrestling Opens Season Strong

Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: On Saturday, December 2nd, the Varsity Wrestling Team competed in the Battle at the Beach tournament at Long Beach High School, which is one of the toughest tournaments in New York State. The 19 Firebirds faced off against wrestlers from All Hallows High

Read More »

Boys Varsity Bowling Team Wins Opening Match

Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: The Boys Varsity Bowling team opened their season on Monday, November 27th with a dominating 9 to 0 win over St. John’s High School. After taking an early 2 to 0 lead after a competitive first game, the team started to click and

Read More »

Kellenberg Student Athletes Recognized at NCAA Ceremony

Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: On November 14th, 2023, eighteen Kellenberg seniors were honored at the annual fall NCAA Celebration. This event honors the achievements of student athletes who have committed to a college for their respective sports and celebrates their advancement to collegiate athletics. The coaches and

Read More »

Girls Varsity Volleyball Wins League Championship

Article by Phoenix writer Justin McKenzie ’24 November 3rd, 2023 was a joyous scene at SUNY Old Westbury where the Girls Varsity Volleyball team rejoiced in celebration after winning the League Championship against the Sacred Heart Spartans. The Lady Firebirds’ dominance has been displayed throughout the season as the team

Read More »

Activities News

Honor Society Seniors Change Lives

Article by Phoenix writer Keira Quigley ’26: This year, the National Honor Society seniors went through the Red Blanket Project, an organization that builds water tanks in Kenya, for their service mission. NHS set a goal to raise enough money to build 2 tanks and fill them with water. Thousands

Read More »

Whodunit Hit Thrills Audience

Article by Phoenix writer Margaret Nitkewicz ’26: This past weekend, Kellenberg’s very own Drama Club put on two outstanding performances of Agatha Christie’s “A Murder Is Announced.” After countless hours spent rehearsing in the Kellenberg Auditorium (and occasionally Room 240), the small but mighty cast finally got to share their

Read More »

Junior Musician performs with Prestigious Ensemble

Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Strauss ’25: This past weekend Zach traveled to Syracuse New York to take part in the New York State Band Directors Association Honors Band. As a participant, Zachary was identified as one of the top musicians in all of New York State. The weekend was

Read More »

Apostolic News

Fathers and Sons Bond at St. Joseph’s Night

Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: Every year, Kellenberg Memorial hosts St. Joseph’s Night, an evening of fun and prayer for Kellenberg gentlemen and their fathers or father figures. The night consists of quality time such as sharing a meal and time spent in prayer. The purpose of this

Read More »

Seniors Learn About Life and Death

Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: On January 29, senior students and faculty heard an annual presentation regarding Catholic Moral Tradition and modern medicine from alumna Meagan Ledetsch. Meaghan Ledetsch graduated from Kellenberg in 2005. Since then, she attended the University of Scranton where she received a Bachelor of

Read More »

Kellenberg Gathers to Celebrate Founders Day Mass

Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Venturino ’26: On January 30th, Kellenberg Memorial finished off the shortened week with a mass celebrating Founders Day. The school community will not be in school Friday for this reason, as Kellenberg celebrates the individuals who founded both the school and the Marianists themselves. This

Read More »

Kellenberg Marches for Life

Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26: On January 23, members of our junior and senior classes headed down to Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life held on January 24. The March for Life began in Washington, DC in 1974. This peaceful, national protest is in response to

Read More »

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

Read More »

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

Read More »

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

Read More »

But What Do I Know?

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.

Read More »
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

Read More »
But What Do I Know

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

Read More »
But What Do I Know

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

Read More »

Academics News

Academic Achievement Recognized At Annual Awards Assembly

Article by Phoenix writer Keira Quigley ’26: On Tuesday, October 24th, sophomores, juniors, and seniors with outstanding academic achievements were honored at the annual Academic Awards Assembly. This assembly included students receiving pins for being on the Honor Roll, badges for having perfect attendance, and inducting new students into the

Read More »

Students Shine In Advanced Labs Program

Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: The Advanced Labs Program is an after-school STEM group at Kellenberg where any high schooler in grades 9-12 can join in on college level labs that prepare them for what they will experience in college. “It made me appreciate science and all that

Read More »

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.