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
Von Receives Coach of the Year Honor
March 13, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26: This winter, our very own Mrs. Catherine vonSchoenermarck was named Coach of the Year for Region 1 by the AVCA. The American Volleyball Coaches Association awards the top High School Girls Volleyball Coaches for their unwavering commitment to their respective teams. This award
Boys Varsity Track has Stellar Performance at States
March 13, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25 & Sophia Venturino ’26: Over the winter break, our Boys Track and Field team competed at the New York Catholic State Varsity Championships. The team was one of only two Long Island Schools to qualify and the highest ranking Long Island school. The
Bowling Team Dominates State Tournament
March 12, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25: In a string of athletic victories, three Firebird bowlers travelled up to Buffalo for the state tournament. Outstanding athletes Juniors Chloe Horstmann and Kerri Callahan and Senior Emma Dolan all qualified for the tournament based on their regular season average. The girls not
Firebirds Defeat Flyers in Final Seconds
March 4, 2025
Wednesday night, the Boy’s Varsity Basketball team defeated Chaminade at Chaminade with a score of 46-42. The stakes were high, as Kellenberg and Chaminade were fifth and fourth seeds, respectively. The score was neck and neck throughout the game, leading to high tensions as the game progressed. Senior Jordan Leach
Activities News
Aquinas League Pilgrimage
January 16, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Mika-Ella Accardi ’25: On Saturday, December 14, the Aquinas League traveled to St. Barnabas Church in Bellmore to visit the relics of their patron saint, St. Thomas Aquinas. The pilgrimage included 12 Juniors and Seniors of the Aquinas League along with Mr. John Ruhl and Mrs.
Kellenberg Students Excel at Ready Set Lead Competition
December 12, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: On December 4, Kellenberg’s Entrepreneurship Club traveled to St. Joseph’s University to compete at the Ready, Set, Lead Business Competition. The annual competition is a unique opportunity for high school students interested in business-related topics, ranging from sports marketing to business design, to
Kellenberg Drama Club Presents “Guys and Dolls”
December 11, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Olivia Iorio ’26: From Friday November 22nd through Sunday November 24th, Kellenberg’s Drama Club put on their show stopping fall production of Guys and Dolls. Written by playwrights Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, Guys and Dolls takes place in 1950s Manhattan. It tells the story of
Alumna Encourages Young Entrepreneurs
December 2, 2024
Article by Phoenix writer Victoria Vakser ’26: Fresh out of college and already influencing students: On November 12th, KMHS Class of 2019 alum Reagan Mullaly gave a talk to the students of the Business and Finance Club. Ms. Mullaly, a marketing major who graduated St. John’s University just two years
Apostolic News
Family XLT Serves As A Reminder of Hope
March 11, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Grace Andino ’25: To begin the Lenten Season, Kellenberg’s ARK hosted Family XLT on Ash Wednesday, March 25. Unlike the other XLTs offered throughout the school year, the annual Family XLT (exalt, praise, and worship) gives students and their families a spiritual opportunity that transcends the
St. Joseph’s Mission Inspires A Spirit of Service
March 11, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Olivia Iorio ’25: During the week of February break, fourteen Kellenberg students demonstrated their Marianist commitment to service when they helped improve the Stella Maris retreat house and the motherhouse of the Sisters of Life in Montebello, New York. St. Joseph’s Mission has been going strong
Kellenberg Prepares for the Lenten Season
March 11, 2025
Article by Phoenix writer Ryleigh O’Neill ’28: Last Wednesday, Kellenberg celebrated the start of the Lenten season with an Ash Wednesday prayer service held in the auditorium. Ashes taken from last year’s palms were placed in the shape of a cross on the foreheads of all the students and faculty
Fathers and Sons Bond at St. Joseph’s Night
February 25, 2025
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
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, 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