Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26:
Latest News
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26:
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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
Girls Varsity Bowling Victorious as League Champions
February 15, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: On Thursday, February 8th, the Kellenberg Girls Varsity Bowling Team won the League Championship against St. John the Baptist by a score of 6-3. The girls opened the match strong, winning game one with a score of 880-771. However, in a nail-biting game
Kellenberg Athletes Earn MVP Honors In NSCHSAA Track And Field Championships
February 8, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: On Sunday, January 28, Seniors Evans Linzey and Martine Demesyeux earned MVP honors at the NSCHSAA Track and Field League Championships. Senior Evans Linzey is no stranger to the MVP title as this is his second year earning the prestigious award. Evans repeated
Girls Varsity Bowling Racks Up Wins
January 23, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24: On Thursday, January 11, the Girls Varsity Bowling team picked up a win against Holy Trinity High School, scoring 7-2. This game improves the team’s record to 7 wins and 1 loss for the season. Sophomore Kerri Callahan had a series of 501,
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
Activities News
Smashing Success for Gaming Club Tournament
January 29, 2025
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
January 21, 2025
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
January 16, 2025
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
January 16, 2025
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
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
LWAM: Make the Time
October 10, 2024
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?
December 7, 2023
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.”
November 30, 2023
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
November 1, 2023
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
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, 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
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
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
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
January 20, 2025
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
January 9, 2025