Senior Liam McAdams pictured with Science Department Chairman, Mr. Paul Ditrano (L) and Bro. Kenneth Hoagland, S.M. (R), principal.

Congratulations to Liam McAdams ’17, who was recently the recipient of the Award of Excellence from the Science Advisory Board of the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists.

Liam spent time over the summer at University of Massachusetts Lowell attending the conference that focussed on science and engineering, featuring those who lead the field. Liam intends on pursuing engineering and science following graduation. At Kellenberg Memorial, Liam is a member of the Varsity Football and Varsity Basketball teams, as well as a member of the National Honor Society, and the Senior Spirit Committee.

From the Academy’s website: The National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists is a membership organization chartered in 2014 to inspire and support all K-12 and college students who wish to devote their lives to the sciences and technology.

The Academy was founded on the belief that we must identify prospective talent at the earliest possible age and help these students acquire the necessary experience and skills to take them to the doorstep of these vital careers.

For more information about the NAFST, please visit their website: http://www.scitechleaders.com/about-us/

Shane Jackson (center) with fellow Eagle Scouts Nicolas Castelli ’17 & Mr. Jeff Harris ’03

On September 10, 2016, Kellenberg Memorial Junior Shane Jackson was awarded the highest rank in scouting, Eagle Scout. Only about 5% of boy scouts become Eagle Scouts. Becoming an Eagle Scout requires commitment, leadership, character development, and hard work. A scout must go through 6 ranks prior to applying for Eagle Scout, earn 21 merit badges, and hold a leadership position in his troop for a total of 16 months.

Shane’s Eagle Scout project was facilitated between several parishes of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He distributed Vial of Life forms, which are medical forms for elderly citizens. These forms have saved countless lives throughout the country. Shane was fully responsible for the planning and execution of the project.

Many famous, accomplished, people such as President Gerald Ford, Steven Spielberg, and Neil Armstrong are Eagle Scouts. Our school Principal. Brother Kenneth Hoagland, S.M. is an Eagle Scout. Shane was awarded certificates and citations by politicians, religious leaders, and many others at his Court of Honor. Congratulations to Shane and his family on this momentous achievement.

Shane pictured with current members and graduates of the Technical Services Club at Kellenberg Memorial.

On Saturday, September 17, three Kellenberg Academic Quiz Bowl teams traveled to Smithtown High School West to compete in the first tournament of the year. All teams fought valiantly throughout the day, but in the end it was the A Team, consisting of senior Calvin Bernic, juniors Evan Katsounis and Aidan Dowd, and freshman Aidan York, that finished 2nd in the tournament with a record of 10 wins and 3 losses. In addition, Evan Katsounis earned the distinction of being the 3rd highest scorer of the tournament. As a result, Kellenberg has qualified for the National Championships in May. Great job to everyone on all three teams!

Troop 87 started the year strong with their annual kick-off camp out. The 25 scouts left school early on Friday loading up their bus and heading up to Founder’s Hollow, the Marianist’s retreat house near Accord, New York.

Upon arrival they began to unload, setup, and cook dinner under the leadership of their newly appointed SPL and ASPL, Liam Schmith and Connor Parrish. Saturday was packed full of fun activities such as a hike to Lake Minnewaska, capture the flag, and a campfire come nighttime.

To end their day the scouts prepared delicious fajitas for dinner with deep fried Oreos for dessert and hung out around the campfire, singing songs and telling stories. On Sunday morning, the boys diligently loaded their supplies onto the bus and were able to get home in record time.

Pictured L-R: Michael Castelli ’20, Shane Jackson ’18, Most Rev. Andrzej Zglejszewski, and Wilmarr Saint Surin ’20

On Sunday, October 2, scouts from the Theodore Roosevelt council received Catholic Religious awards from Bishop Andrzej Zglejszewski at St. Agnes Cathedral. The Catholic committee on scouting offers two awards for scouts to earn, the Ad Altare Dei award and the Pope Pius XII award. Both awards are completed in groups of scouts supervised by a certified counselor. Shane Jackson ’18 was awarded the Pope Pius XII award. Travis Heurtelou ’19, Wilmarr Saint Surin ’20,  and Michael Castelli ’20 were awarded the Ad Altare Dei award.

“The purpose of the Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) program is to help Catholic Youth of the Roman Rite develop a fully Christian way of life in the faith community. The program is organized in chapters based on the seven sacraments. The seven Sacraments are a primary means toward spiritual growth.” (source)

“Pope Pius XII is Catholic Scouting’s church-related ministries and vocation program. The program deals with different life choices (single, married, religious, ordained), occupations and ministries in the church as calls from God. It includes youth led discussions on current issues facing the church and society, which are normally included as part of a Pius XII retreat or day of recollection.” (source)

Congratulations.

Articles Written by Craig Wallace (’17) and Andrea Goodman (’17)

Craig Wallace: This past summer, I went on one of the most memorable trips of my life which was a mission trip to Novillero, Guatemala. This trip is a part of a project that is run by St. Raymond’s Church in East Rockaway which is called Proyecto Don Bosco. This project sponsors children in Novillero and Santa Lucia in Guatemala, as well as sends supplies and money to the communities as well, I actually sponsor a kid down there starting just prior to the trip because I wanted to do whatever I could to help. We spent 10 days living in Novillero in the same conditions they did and it was a very powerful life-changing experience. It was a big eye opener to see how they live and what they do on a day to day basis and it was the best trip of my life by far. I felt great satisfaction seeing the locals react to our presence because they all know us because the project is well known in those communities and they know how much we care and help, as well seeing my sponsored kid who I got to spend a lot of time with while I was there and I can’t wait to go back next year, and I encourage everybody to look into it because I can honestly say this was the best experience of my life.

Andrea Goodman: How does one encounter God? Well there are many ways. As for me I encountered God through his people. On the night of our third day in Guatemala we read an article during prayer time that asked if we considered the people we met as Guatemalans or as people just like us. The question really hit me knowing that all the people we were meeting, through a different culture, have the same needs and values that we have back home. You hear it all the time that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Well I can tell you that I have witnessed this to the fullest. I felt a closeness with the people we met. Before coming down I dreamed about being surrounded by a group of children wanting a hug from me. As the week went by and the trip was coming to an end I did not think that it would really happen. God however would not let me down. On day eight my dream came true. I couldn’t believe it was real. We went to a school where the kids put on a show for us. After the show we went outside to the schoolyard where the kids wanted to run with me. When I got tired and fell to the ground the kids tumbled on top of me. I forced myself up and grabbed as many of the kids as I could. When it was time to go, the kids followed us to the gate and I thought of my dream and how God fulfilled it. I said, “Thank You God.” The moment felt so surreal. There was not doubt in my mind that God did this for me. They had touched my heart. I can definitely say that from my dream that had turned to reality, I had encountered God in His Children. God has truly blessed me.

Article by Peter Gillette ’17:

On April 1 and 2, nine members of the History Club attended the first annual Fordham Model United Nations Conference (FORMUNC). The conference took place at Lincoln Center in New York City and had four different committees: Fortune 500, WHO, SOCHUM, and Security Council. Each committee focused on at least one current event and required delegates to work together to agree on a resolution or directive. Each student was given a country to represent in FORMUNC and were placed in a specific committee in which topics were debated upon.

The Fortune 500 committee consisted of large companies, such as Walmart and Apple, which needed to devise an effective way to fund the current Sustainable Development Goals (17 goals set by the UN to work towards a better future). The delegates in this particular committee worked together to formulate ways to fund these goals and focused mainly on gender equality within Fortune 500 companies. Kaitlyn Long ’19, who represented General Electric, stated, “Researching these topics and hearing other people’s thoughts and suggestions broadened my worldview especially with regards to how companies work.”

Another committee, SOCHUM or the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee worked to tackle social, humanitarian and human rights issues throughout the world. At FORMUNC, delegates discussed the treatment of women in certain countries and what steps needed to be taken in order to better their lives. Resolutions, which created safe houses and forums for women to share their experiences with other people, were passed. Adanya Jeudy ’19 recalled that her favorite part of SOCHUM was being able to share her ideas on how to make the world a better place and use them to craft a resolution with other delegates who shared her ideas.

The Security Council had the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. Delegates in this committee worked together to create a vaccine for the Zika virus as well as handle future crises which were thrown at them. One crisis was an outbreak of Zika in Cuba which occurred after the vaccine was created. Looking back on her experience, Danielle Moynihan ’17, who represented China, reflected, “My favorite part of Security Council was how we constantly had to respond to every curveball that was thrown at us.”      

The last committee, WHO or World Health Organization, dealt with international health issues. Delegates in this committee discussed the topic of maternal health and wellness on a global scale. On the second day of FORMUNC, the SOCHUM and WHO committees joined together to discuss empowering indigenous women. Representing Brazil, Rachel McCallin ’20 especially liked how the chairs of her committee were respectful and focused on keeping the delegates on track of the topic. It was this that delegates were able to pass an effective resolution which accomplished what they wanted.

Although it was the first conference held, the staff at Fordham did an exemplary job of running the event. Every committee ran smoothly and the refugee simulation, which occurred on the second day of the conference, was an incredible and informative experience. Special thanks to Mrs. Riiska and Mr. Kennedy who worked tirelessly to make attending FORMUNC, possible, and a wonderful experience.

Kellenberg Memorial High School and the Brother Joseph C. Fox Latin School are pleased to announce that twenty-three students were recognized either as Finalists or Place Winners in the March 22, 2017 Diocesan Respect Life Youth Awards Ceremony. Their submissions were selected from over a thousand entries island-wide.

Among the students receiving monetary scholarships totaling $2,900.00 were First Place winners Grace Cooper ’19 (Music-Level II), Nina Dalli ’18 (Photography-Level II), Madeline DeMarco ’18 (Essay-Level II) and Theresa Fox ’19 (Photomontage-Level II).

In the murals category, Halle Conklin ’18 and Juliana Roldan ’18 (Level II) captured Second Place. Additional Second Place winners included Ashley Harding ’18 and Olivia McNicholas ’20 for their Level II entries in Bookmark Design and Essay, respectively. Seizing Third Place honors were Willow Fitzpatrick-Murray ’19 (Photomontage-Level II) and Christian Licato ’18 (Music-Level II).

Top row L-R: Christian Licato, Juliana Roldan, Theresa Fox, Willow Fitzpatrick-Murray, Madeline DeMarco.
Bottom row L-R: Grace Cooper, Halle Conklin, Nina Dalli, Ashley Harding, Olivia McNicholas

Finalists included: Evan Carroll ’21 (Music-Level I); Christina Faber ’18, Tresa Karnati ’21, Madeline Latham ’19, Kaitlyn Remhild ’18, Ayden Rivera ’21, and Danielle Rodriguez ’19 (Bookmark Design-Levels I & II); Seamus Graham ’18 and Brian Russell ’21 (Poetry-Levels I & II); Mackenzie McAllister ’21 and Sean Denis Tortorella ’20 (Photography-Levels I & II); Jared Valluzzi ’21 (Photomontage-Level I) and Charles Kelly ’20 and Gabriella Rocco ’21 (Essay-Level I).

Participants were asked to creatively address one of the life issues by submitting a poem, essay, photograph, bookmark design, video clip, photo montage, mural or song that ties in with the contest theme. This year’s theme was “Moved by Mercy.”

Congratulations to Gerard DeAngelis on being selected as a National Semifinalist in the 2016-2017 National Honor Society Scholarship Program. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), parent organization of the National Honor Society (NHS), has awarded more than $14 million in scholarships to outstanding NHHS members since 1946.

This year, 400 NHS National Semifinalists were chosen from over 9,000 applicants. As one of the National Semifinalists, Gerard will receive a $2,325 scholarship.

Gerard will be attending Boston College in the fall of 2017.

Pictured L-R: Mr. Kevin Dugal (English Dept.), William Ilardi ’17, Bro. Kenneth Hoagland S.M. (Principal)

Congratulations to senior William Ilardi on winning the Stephen Tompsett Award essay contest.  William received a trophy and a $500 scholarship award.  He qualified for consideration by being a resident of Garden City and for writing an essay.  One award is given annually to a resident of Garden City who attends a public school, and another is given to a student who attends a Catholic school.  William is the first Kellenberg student to earn this award. 

The Stephen K. Tompsett Memorial Fund for Technology in Education (“Stephen’s Fund”) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charity, created in honor and memory of Stephen Tompsett, SVP of Instinet Corp, resident of Garden City, NY, and parishioner of St. Joseph’s Church who was killed on 9/11/01 while attending a technology conference in the World Trade Center.

Stephen’s Fund is dedicated to continuing his volunteer work, exemplified by his love of children and his desire to improve education. Their mission is to encourage young people to excel especially in the Math, Science and Technology fields. 

On Thursday, May 18 the Junior class Blood Drive was held.  The Juniors collected 141 traditional pints of blood and 60 ALYX units for a total of 201 units collected from students and teachers.  Together with the blood that was collected in March from the Senior class, Kellenberg students and faculty donated 383 pints of blood which impacted the lives of more than 1,000 people.  We should be very proud of our students by making themselves a little uncomfortable to help save the life of another. 

Congratulations to the Class of 2017 Senior Superlative winners!

Most Likely to Succeed:

Natalie Montufar and Thomas Greco

Most Studious:

Maximillian Calleo and Emily Roff

Most Friendly: 

Mary Donnelly and Garry Tellus

Most Talkative: 

Kathleen Carroll and Paul LaFranca

Best Smile: 

Kevin Gomes and Anna Lieza Bradshaw

Most Artistic: 

Jeremy Capuder and Sophie Wilson

Most Athletic: 

Alyssa Boll and Andrew Sluka

Most Spirited: 

Kiersten Cote and Andrea Goodman

Most Musical: 

Sean Crosby and Angela Paton

Most Humorous: 

Sarah Wood and Sal Cirasola

Most Involved: 

Bridget Murphy and Chazz Rahynes

All are cordially invited to attend a
Mass of Thanksgiving celebrating the
30th Anniversary of Kellenberg Memorial on
Saturday, July 1, 2017, at 4:00 PM.  

Mass will be followed by a cocktail reception.  

This is a complimentary event.

Although online registration is now closed, walk-ins are welcome!
Any questions may be directed to Mrs. Denise Miles, Director of Advancement
MrsMiles@kellenberg.org or (516) 292-0200 ext. 245

Kellenberg Memorial High School General Excellence Award
Outstanding Young Man & Young Lady
Juliana Cosenza & Gerard DeAngelis

Kellenberg Memorial High School Francis T. Keenan, S.M. Valedictorian Award
Thomas Greco

Kellenberg Memorial High School Father Francis T. Keenan, S.M. Salutatorian Award
Amanda Greco

Academic Excellence Award Awarded to the Young Man & Young Lady
with the Highest Cumulative Averages From Grades 9 – 12
Maximillian Calleo and Justina Henein

Edward J. Dunn Student-Athlete Award Awarded to the
Most Outstanding Young Man & Young Lady Student Athletes
Alyssa Boll and Steven Hoffman

Brother Richard J. Hughes, S.M. Service Award Awarded to the Young Man & Young Lady
who have shown the Most Outstanding Service to the School Community
Jordan Bernhardi and Dana Livingston

Nassau County Award for
Community Service and Academic Excellence
Gerard DeAngelis

Town of Hempstead Award for
Community Service and Academic Excellence
Kaitlyn Knoblach

Awards for Special Activities

Band Award for Excellence In and Dedication to the Band
Holly Bohack and Daniel Fleming

Blue and Gold Award for Excellence In and Dedication to the School Yearbook
Maria Prastos and Tyler Stock

Chorus Award for Excellence In and Dedication to the Chorus
Gerimy Layos and Kaitlyn Toscano

Drama Award for Excellence In and Dedication to the Drama Club
Sean Crosby and Anna Waiter

Orchestra Award for Excellence In and Dedication to the Orchestra
Sarah Peppe

Parish Religious Education Program Award for
Contributing the Most to the Teaching of Religious Education
Ryan Barrett and Juliana Cosenza

Phoenix Award for Excellence In and Dedication to the School Newspaper
Maximillian Calleo and Noelle McManus

Speech and Debate Award for Excellence In
and Dedication to the Speech and Debate Club
Thomas Dompkowski and Allison Occhiuto

Outstanding Seniors in Individual Subjects

Outstanding Seniors in American Sign Language
Haley Perlow and Kiernan Reinhard

Outstanding Seniors in English
Noelle McManus and Edmund O’Brien

Outstanding Senior in Fine Arts
Jake Johnson and Micah Sanguyu

Outstanding Seniors in French
Emma Aquino and Andrew Russell

Outstanding Seniors in History
Thomas Greco and Bridget Sullivan

Outstanding Seniors in Latin
Jeremy Capuder and Emma Watson

Outstanding Seniors in Mathematics
Maximillian Calleo and Emily Roff

Outstanding Seniors in Music
Jeremy Capuder and Anna Waiter

Outstanding Seniors in Religion
Juliana Cosenza and Thomas Dompkowski

Outstanding Seniors in Science
Calvin Bernic and Justina Henein

Outstanding Seniors in Spanish
Maximillian Calleo and Julianne Daga

The students in Mrs. von Schoenermarck’s fifth period and seventh period English classes completed a combined total of 382 books that they read independently from September to June of this school year! 

Using Peggy Kittle’s model from Book Love, they embarked on a reading journey that incorporated 10 minutes of in-class reading every Monday and Wednesday and 10 minutes at home on the other nights in an attempt to read an hour per week. The students held “Book Talks” every Friday, introducing two selections for the class to consider, and engaged in one-on-one conferences with their teacher at least once a trimester in order to chat about their reading habits and interests. “Book Buddies”—a kind of in-class book club—was held once a month to discuss setting, characterization, use of titles, opening and closing lines, etc., from whatever book each student was reading at that time.

Fifth period tallied an impressive 188 books while seventh period conquered an amazing 194 titles!

With summer on the way, they hope to continue the trend by packing a novel in their beach bag along with lunch and some sunscreen!

Four members of the class of 2017 have elected to serve their country after their time at Kellenberg Memorial High School. Please keep the following graduates in your prayers as they commit themselves to their future endeavors. 

Margaret Oriani ’17
Appointed to United States Military Academy at West Point

James Mahon ’17
Appointed to United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point

Cyril George ’17
Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps

Craig Wallace ’17
Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps

Pictured L-R, John Cascio, Noelle Maronak, Kieran Dennis, Ismenia Ginebra. Photo by Meagan Kimick.

Congratulations to the National Honor Society’s newest officers who were announced at Kellenebrg Memorial High School’s 2017 Academic Awards Assembly. The officers elected by fellow National Honor Society members were Kieran Dennis (President), Noelle Maronak (Vice President), John Cascio III (Corresponding Secretary), and Ismenia Ginebra (Recording Secretary). Congratulations. 

On October 4, Kellenberg Memorial students journeyed to the Cradle of Aviation Museum to meet NASA astronaut United States Air Force Colonel Terry Virts. The evening began with a meet-and-greet where student took pictures with Commander Virts, discussed the uniqueness of have an actual LEM module in the museum, and even had time to talk a little baseball for a few minutes. 

On Wednesday, October 11th, Kellenberg Memorial hosted the inaugural Freshman Grandparents Day Mass and Brunch. Campus was bustling with activity as Marianist Mentors greeted the freshman grandparents, escorting them through check-in and into the gymnasium to be seated for Mass. Fr. Philip Eichner, S.M. celebrated a moving Mass for the over 400 grandparents gathered, as well as the entire freshman class. The sanctity of the celebration was further enhanced by the artful musical accompaniment of Kellenberg Memorial’s Freshman Jubilee Choir. Following Mass, members of the freshman class joined their grandparents for a light brunch in the cafeteria.

Grandparents Gerry and Charlie Peknic thoroughly enjoyed the day, saying, “We just wanted to share our heartfelt thanks for the wonderfully beautiful morning we experienced at the Mass and Brunch for Freshman Grandparents. It was pure delight from beginning to end to have shared this blessing with our grandchildren, Grace and C.J., along with all their peers and grandparents! God bless them all, especially Fr. Philip for his awesome homily!”