By Phoenix writer Angelo Tsassis, ’22:

The NOVVA Virtual College Fair was held for all juniors at Kellenberg to attend on Tuesday, May 4.

118 colleges and universities from around the world were present for the event, ranging from Adelphi University here on Long Island, to Duke Kunshan University all the way in China.

Students attending the event had access to various exhibitors from each college, and could enter a virtual “booth”. In this booth, there was the option to view brochures giving information about the colleges, as well as links to videos that further engaged interested students.

Attendees also had the opportunity to be in direct contact with admissions officers via chat. They could ask any questions they had about the college, such as about the admissions process or the majors that they offer.

The admissions officers could then answer any questions they had, and send them links to furthermore personalized information. If requested by the student, a short video chat could even be set up with the admissions officer to further discuss the college.

Students were even given the chance to notify universities that they planned to apply. The fair was a great opportunity for Kellenberg students to get in touch with and gain valuable knowledge about colleges in order to help make the all-important decision.

On May 23, Kathleen Healy, ’22 was honored by New York Senator Todd Kaminsky as a 2021 Student Star. Kathleen was nominated to receive this honor by Kellenberg Memorial based on her record of leadership, community service, and achievements both inside and outside of the classroom. Congratulations!

Article by Phoenix writer Elizabeth Mooney, ’22

Based on her last NYSSMA solo, Senior Emily D’Alessandro was named to the All-State Mixed Chorus, with Senior Maria Barella as her alternate. They were to represent at the All-State Festival in Albany, unfortunately, due to COVID, the festival was canceled. These two seniors were recently recognized for their musical achievements at this year’s’ Spring Firebird & and Phoenix Concert.

Earlier this school year, our Kellenberg vocalists and musicians, under the instruction of moderators Mrs. Zider and Mr. Narrell began their preparation for the 2021 Spring NYSSMA and All-State competition. In a typical year, KMHS participants would perform live in front of judges then receive a score on an evaluative scale for their particular area of talent. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instrumental and vocal musicians were judged virtually by music educators across New York State. Participants in this year’s April 2021 Virtual NYSSMA Festival worked with their music teachers, mentors, and private coaches to prepare. Senior Emily D’Alessandro performed her voice selection as a part of the mixed chorus arrangement. Emily practiced virtually with her private voice coach, preparing her for the remote performance. Her choice of song was “I Dream a World ” which incorporated text from the poem written by Langston Hughes. For this performance, the song was arranged and set to music. When asked about the recent NYSSMA event, Emily said “It was a great experience and I am glad they found a way to still put on a great concert while keeping us safe and healthy.” Congratulations to our KMHS musicians for another great year at NYSSMA and All-State!

Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Paulich, ’24

Kellenberg strives to bring every student success by offering courses to highlight the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, otherwise known as STEM. The STEM department at Kellenberg has designed voluntary courses open to seniors in Calculus and Physics with the intention to broaden their knowledge in these fields.

According to Senior Frank Rizzo, “Statistics is a big part of the sciences, and the seminar is a great way to get ahead.” He is planning on attending Binghamton University in the fall in order to deepen his understanding of and pursue a career in STEM. It is clear that these seminars will be of great benefit to Frank.

The Calculus Seminar, taught by Mrs. Bernardini, will be attended by 29 students and the Statistics Seminar, instructed by Mr. Casalinuovo, has 41 registered seniors. Danielle Field ‘21 is eager to further her STEM knowledge. She has shared: “I thought this would be a good introduction to what I would be learning in some of my psychology classes this fall.”

The Senior Seminars begin the week following the Senior Comprehensive Exams and conclude at the start of the Underclass Comprehensive Exams. They are free of charge and open to all soon-to-be graduates who are planning on pursuing a career in STEM.

Article by Phoenix writer Nicholas Cortese, ’23:

The high school journey for this year’s Kellenberg seniors has all but ended. Doubtlessly, we’ve seen our athletes and scholars achieve great things. However, many Firebirds have achieved some stellar kudos over the past few years, even though they might not have been on an actual Firebird team or activity. What this proves, as our seniors prepare to depart Kellenberg-land after this weekend’s Commencement, is their school spirit will last them a lifetime, whether or not they are physically in the building.

Matt Piekarski 21’ is a fine example of this scenario. Matt is a gymnastics phenom who never had a team to belong to here at KMHS. But that never stopped him from seeking excellence. Matt is the current New York State champion and is far ahead of the rest. He is the Rings Champion and qualified for his third Nationals competition. Matt lugged the Region 7 Nationals team to the first place prize for the first time since 2012. At his preliminary meet at finals, he was crowned first place on rings, ninth on parallel bars, and tenth on pommels. Matt’s success is nothing less than a dream come true to him and everyone surrounding him.

Wrestling coach Alfalla looked back on when Matt was a freshman and noted how proud he was of how far the young gymnast came.

“I asked him to consider wrestling and that’s when he told me about gymnastics,” reminisced Coach Alfalla. “Matt is a terrific kid, much more than an incredible athlete.”

Matt’s passion and success are something that people should look on and applaud. And something Kellenberg hopes to instill in every student in its halls, not just those on the teams.

However, many Kellenberg students have taken it to the next level and replicated Matt’s excellence in the non-athletic activities. For example, senior Veronica Tadross was one of the seventeen New Yorkers to be awarded the 2021 Congressional Award Gold Medal. This prize goes to those who excelled in voluntary service, personal development, and fitness and exploration. In less than two years, Veronica offered over four hundred hours of her time towards service work. She set out to Morocco to learn and teach about women’s roles in politics and social activities. This as well as her extensive work on fitness and development won her this outstanding award.

Veronica doesn’t plan for this to be the end of her hard work, as she specified how she can continue to enjoy her life with meaningful pastimes while also inspiring others, saying, “Honing in my focus on just a few activities that I enjoy has driven me to improve myself and the community, and I would encourage other Kellenberg students to pursue the Congressional Award as well.”
The Kellenberg community is collectively leaving its mark because of students like Veronica who want to inspire future generations.

Senior Evan Carroll also showed his impact when he was awarded the Catholic Daughters of Americas award. He exhibited his talent in composing music along with the theme of showing love to others. He was one of two Kellenberg students to acquire these honors, along with Virginia Bruder 25’ who won two awards, one for art and one for poetry.

Students and athletes such as Matt, Veronica, Evan, and Victoria are the rule here at KMHS, not the exception. While we all love to see our Blue and Gold athletes and scholars excel, what we all know to be the greater value is that we are all Firebirds and we can all achieve greatness when we live by the One Heart, One Mind philosophy instilled in us in the hallways, classrooms, and chapels of Kellenberg Memorial.

Article by Phoenix writer Angelo Tsassis, ’22

Over the 2-day stretch of May 19-May 20, Kellenberg’s Junior Spirit Days were held for the school’s 11th grade. It was a great mix between fun and faith, and represented a proverbial “passing of the torch”, as the juniors became the school’s most senior grade.

On the first day, the entire junior class boarded busses to go visit Adventureland, a popular amusement park in East Farmingdale. Kellenberg rented out the entire park for the day, meaning that only students and faculty were present, with no outsiders.

The Junior class arrived at Adventureland early in the morning and had the entire length of the school day to enjoy with their friends. They had full access to all rides and games and were given lunch.

On May 20, Kellenberg’s annual tradition of the May Crowning was held. The juniors were the class chosen to be able to witness the event live outside. Asked about the event, Junior Nick Xhindolli said, “It was nice to have a live spiritual event, and to see people from other cohorts.”

Finally, following the Crowning, the juniors were treated to a field day held at Kellenberg, filled with outdoor activities such as volleyball and tug-of-war, won by Mr. Miles’ homeroom cohort 11A.

Overall, it was a great 2 days to celebrate the students who will be the leaders of the school next year.

On June 3, seniors Henry Raber, ’21, Shannon Pepe, ’21, Mackenzie McAllister, ’21, Price McAllister, ’21, and Nicole Barsch ’21 received the 2021 Joe Ferriso Memorial Scholarship, given to graduating seniors of Joe Ferriso’s alma mater, Kellenberg Memorial High School. The award was presented by the family of Joe Ferriso who passed away after an auto accident in 2015. A scholarship in his name was established to award graduates of Kellenberg Memorial High School and of Copiague High School, his hometown.

Congratulations to Brandi Licato, ’24, and Colin Simpson, ’23 on recently being awarded the Nassau Music Educator Association Scholarship to study at a music summer camp. Both students were nominated and chosen to receive the scholarship among many young musicians in Nassau County. Brandi Licato, a freshman violinist in the Firebird Orchestra, has been studying violin and piano for several years and has received high scores at the NYSSMA solo festival. Brandi will study at the Chamber Music Festival being held at the Long Island High School of the Arts this summer. Colin Simpson, a sophomore violinist in the Phoenix Orchestra, has studied the violin, cello, and piano since the second grade. Colin recently participated in the All-State solo festival and received a high score on violin. Colin will be attending USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts this summer. We are very proud of these two students for their hard work and dedication to our music program at Kellenberg Memorial High School.

Congratulations to Caitlin Noonan, ’21 who was named a finalist in the Spellman Clean Tech Competition at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Caitlin said, “This means that my project, designing a swimming robot to detect and forecast harmful algal blooms in local waterways, was recognized as one of the top projects received by the judging committee. My project was one of the top 10 projects in the High Tech category, beating out hundreds of students from across the world.”

In total, the competition received over 400 entries from 31 nations.

Caitlin was also the recipient of the Honors Award at the Long Island Science Congress this past spring.

“From beginning to pursue my interest in STEM through competing on the Science Olympiad A-Team at Kellenberg and winning a medal at the New York State Science Olympiad Competition in the Protein Modeling event in 2019, I was inspired to pursue scientific research outside of Kellenberg in a field that I am passionate about and can make a difference in. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my STEM teachers at Kellenberg for helping facilitate my interests in STEM, especially Mr. Wevers, Mrs. Farrell, Mrs. Frem, and Mr. Sorkin.”

This fall, Caitlin will be pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering at The Cooper Union (Albert Nerken School of Engineering) in New York City.

Article by Ava Petrosky ’22:

Being a Marianist represents finding Jesus through His mother, Mary. Mary is the perfect mediator to Christ because she herself was human; therefore, she understands. She is truly the Mother of the Church because she assists us as her own children. LIFE stands for “Living in Faith Experience.” We are called to find God in even the ordinary moments of our daily lives. The Blessed Mother is always there to guide us in opening our eyes, ears, and hearts to understand God’s presence in everything we do. I am so honored and excited to now be commissioned a member of Marianist LIFE.

This past July, I was given the opportunity to participate in a week-long virtual retreat with the Marianist LIFE program. 23 of my classmates from Kellenberg and I had Zoom meetings with students from other Marianist schools in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Something that stood out to me within the first five minutes was the phrase “to build Christian community.” That is the goal of LIFE: to build Christian community. Throughout the week we were given unique ideas of how we can further build community within our own parishes and schools. 

We first took a personality assessment to better understand ourselves. We had to rank different given characteristics as to how they pertain to each of us. At the end, the highest number correlated with a color of either gold, blue, orange, or green. After discovering our color, we met with these groups for a discussion. This was a great activity to understand the specific leadership qualities we each possess. 

On the second day, we were broken into small groups and assigned to draw a river. This was without a doubt, my favorite activity of the whole week. The river demonstrated our own faith journeys. Each river began with a spring, describing the beginning of our expedition. Although every river had similar structures such as rocks, rip currents, and fishermen, they all turned out so different. This experience really bonded my group, as it was really inspirational to listen to everyone’s own journeys. I also understood that although each river had its bumps and rocks, the water never stopped flowing because God never left us. The river symbolizes how God calls us to be “fishers of men.”

Together, each day we took turns cooking breakfast and lunch. I have always loved to cook, and cooking crepes was an unforgettable experience; it was so much fun!  Even cooking, we were in a community!  Our families came together Thursday night for dinner and Eucharistic Adoration. A few of the LIFE moderators (including Fr. Dan from Texas) joined us via Zoom for this special night of prayer. In between each Adoration song, a Kellenberg moderator shared a short witness. Before the final song, we each spoke of something new that we learned about our Blessed Mother. This was a beautiful service that I am so grateful to have been a witness of.  To be praying with other LIFErs, parents, and teachers was beautiful – a Marianist community!

I am beyond thankful for this Marianist LIFE retreat. I feel that I have grown so much closer to Christ through the intercession of Mary. I will cherish the memories I have made with my friends, both from Kellenberg and from different time zones. I am looking forward to building Christian community in my daily life because I have learned what it truly means to be a Marianist in today’s society.

Article by Phoenix writer Nicholas Cortese ’23:

On Friday, September 23, the varsity football squad showed up to the Mitchell Field Complex with a big win for the “White Out” matchup against Xavier High School.

The importance of unity and team chemistry was displayed immediately starting from the first kickoff on Friday. Each athlete looked calm and collected as soon as he stepped on the turf. The defense was insurmountable at all times, and the offensive forces led by quarterbacks Ethan Greenwood and Devin Page allowed Kellenberg to sour ahead with a 47-7 win.

The game itself served as a sign for things to come. Mr. Meisse believes this win will lead to a power and momentum shift for the Firebirds.

“We definitely had a good performance and it could be the start of some momentum. We can repeat a lot of the things we did. Our schedule should get tougher as we go so it’ll be very important to prepare and get things right.”

Mr. Meisse also thinks that the ‘White Out’ promotions played a part in the win. He recalled being in awe when gazing upon the swarms of white in the stands and noticed the incredible impact the crowds served.
“You could feel the buzz for the game all throughout the day from the beginning of homeroom even though the game was still 10 hours away.”

‘White Out’ is a sports tradition conducted by teams such as the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Winnipeg Jets where the attending fans are asked to follow a dress code based around the color white. It’s a simple concept, but it serves its purpose. The unity in the crowd leads to a feeling of unity for those on the field.

The team plays some crucial home games in the next coming weeks, such as the Homecoming game on October 9 and the Senior Day game on October 23. The Kellenberg staff members will look into adding more promotions to get the student body as involved as possible. With more advertisements and newly founded traditions on the horizon, you can only imagine the heights this group can reach. Regardless of what can be added in the near future, we are in for some spectacular football.

Article by Phoenix writer Mia Habert ’22:

For the first time in almost two years, the Kellenberg Memorial family was back together on Thursday, September 23 for the Mass for the Marianist Martyrs. The entire student body was ecstatic to have back a sense of normalcy for the day. Father Daniel Griffin S.M. celebrated the Mass for the Latin school, Freshmen, and Sophomore divisions. Father Thomas Cardone S.M. celebrated the Junior and Senior division Mass.

In his homily, Father Tom reflected on the lives of some of the martyrs and their impact. On September 18, we celebrate the sacrifice of the Marianist Martyrs of Ciudad. Many of these martyrs devoted their lives to teaching, much like the Marianist community right here at Kellenberg.

The martyrs honored were Blessed Miguel Leibar Garay, Blessed Florencio Arnaiz Cejudo, and Blessed Fidel Fuido, among others. During the lifetimes of these martyrs, they spoke out on the church’s stances during the Spanish Civil War.

Specifically, during 1936, the first year of the war, the religious community was under a great deal of persecution. In John 15:13 it states that “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”

These men were more than prepared to make that ultimate sacrifice to defend their faith. This Mass was a fitting way to reunite the Kellenberg family. As a community, we were able to reunite and reflect on the past of our faith while simultaneously looking forward towards the future as we reconnect.

Article by Phoenix writer Griffin Noumair ’24:

On Friday, October 1st, the class of 2024 participated in Kellenberg’s annual sophomore ANOINT Day. Sophomore students walked into school wearing a colorful ANOINT Day themed t-shirt, ready to engage in a day of fun-filled activities.

The first part of the day was spent watching the movie When The Game Stands Tall. The movie was centered around the De La Salle High School football team, who held the record for the longest win streak at 151 games, only to experience a dramatic downfall, including two shocking losses, the tragic murder of a former player, and Head Coach Bob Ladouceur’s near-death experience. The movie goes on to detail the perseverance and grit it took to get back into a winning team.

Afterward, sophomores participated in a multitude of games such as volleyball, gaga ball, soccer, and wiffle ball. Students also learned how to perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver, courtesy of the health department. Included with the morning activities was a prayerful meditation led by Bro. Peter Sennert, S.M. in the auditorium. In the midst of all the fun, sophomores were also able to enjoy complimentary hot pretzels.

Following a lively morning, sophomores relaxed with their peers to eat lunch. Before heading inside, the entire sophomore class took a picture, as well as with their respective homerooms.

The day ended with Eucharistic Adoration led by Bro. Patrick Cahill, S.M. The altar was covered in an array of different items, from a football to a violin, each representing a sport or club at Kellenberg Memorial. This emphasized the importance of pursuing your God-given talents and whatever you are passionate about. Sophomores exited the building with happy faces, more knowledgeable than they had been entering the building. All in all, everyone grew closer to the members of their class. ANOINT Day 2021 was certainly a successful event and one that nobody will be forgetting anytime soon.

Article by Phoenix writer Grace Garcia ’23:

On Wednesday, September 29th, Kellenberg hosted a Virtual College Night for junior students and their parents. The online webinar from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM provided juniors with information about college admissions. This event was presented by Miss Ronan, Mrs. Marconi, Ms. Gulmi, Mr. Dugal, Mrs. Strauss, and Mr. Tahany.

“College night was very informative, and it was comforting to feel the support from the teachers presenting,” Junior Lianne Chu shared. “I think it was very good at guiding the juniors.”

The night started with a greeting from Miss. Ronan. She then transitioned into explaining what was in the blue folder that the juniors received in homeroom that morning. There were invaluable tools in the folder, ranging from guides to reference sheets, but Miss Ronan drew the students’ attention towards a card with a registration code for Naviance, directions for how to log onto the site, and information about the Reserve Officers Training Course, otherwise known as ROTC.

Next, Mrs. Marconi featured a few books which describe the college application process, notably “Excellent Sheep” by William Deresiewicz, “Who Gets In And Why” by Jeffrey Selingo, and “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be” by Frank Bruni.

Miss Ronan followed with a presentation about what juniors should be doing right now to prepare for college, for example, keeping their grades as high as possible, forming relationships with teachers who might write letters of recommendation, preparing for standardized tests, and researching colleges of interest.

Miss Ronan elaborated on the SAT and ACT exams, mentioning some important dates and explaining the test-optional, test-mandatory, or test-blind scenarios. If a college is test-optional, the college doesn’t look into your SAT and ACT scores unless you would like. On the contrary, some test-mandatory schools require your scores submitted to them and other test-blind schools pass up on that idea.

Ms. Gulmi talked about what to do when visiting colleges, such as taking pictures, and asking questions. Ms. Gulmi also covered Demonstrated Interest, which is how colleges assess how interested a student is in attending their school. Even simply opening emails from colleges can show them a student’s interest. Finally Ms. Gulmi recommended that students take advantage of interest and request an interview with a college.

Miss Ronan returned to discuss military academies, ROTC, and when to start applying for those. In addition, she spoke about the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and what to do if interested in participating in college sports.

Miss Ronan concluded by suggesting students ask themselves, “Do you want to go to a local college, or do you want to go out of state?” and, “Do you want to go to a big school or a small school?”

The Virtual College Night was an excellent presentation to help orient students and their parents through what can be a very intimidating and confusing process when choosing a college.

After last week’s article, “What Have We Gotten Back?” by PhoenixOnline Editor-in-Chief Angelo Tsassis ’22, PhoenixOnline surveyed the student body about what they were most happy to have back after the Covid 19 adjustment of the 2020-21 school year.

A convincing 27.5% of students who took the survey believed that the simple act of changing classes was what they were most happy about. In second and third place respectively, were after-school clubs and activities and athletics. One thing this survey makes clear, KMHS students love being around each other!

Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24:

On Wednesday, October 13, the Kellenberg Freshman class took part in FAITH Day. With matching shirts, the homerooms spent time together attending Mass, in competition, and watching a film. “Freshman FAITH Day is, in my opinion, one of the most important faith days”, Marianist Mentor Skylar Goodman ‘22 stated. “It allows the freshman to get to know each other a little more outside of homeroom and classes but also shows them the first steps of what their faith life can be”.

Mass was led by Father Thomas Cardone, S.M., who spoke about the parts of the Mass as well as its importance. Shelby Regan, a Freshman participant, shared, “The instructional Mass felt so personal and it gave me such a greater insight on how it works. I think that often when it comes to Mass we just go through the motions never taking a moment to think about or ask what it all means but having Father Tom explain to us all the details of Mass was something special and something I know I’ll only get at Kellenberg.”

The Freshman then participated in a friendly homeroom competition, which was won by Miss Lamonica’s homeroom, 9D. This included games such as volleyball, Gaga ball, crab soccer, football, and kickball with the opportunity for frisbee, bean bag toss, and spike ball on the side.

The day ended with watching the movie “I Can Only Imagine”, a true story about Bart Millard, the singer and songwriter of the Christian band MercyMe. The film showed his early life and its difficulties: an abusive father, being told his band wasn’t good enough, and struggles in his relationship with his girlfriend. But God was there for him, helping him. Millard forgave his father, wrote MercyMe’s first single “I Can Only Imagine”, and reunited with his girlfriend.

Overall, the Freshman FAITH Day was a great experience for all participants. Freshman Isabel Larrea said, “I think my favorite part of it all was seeing how the homerooms, including mine, came together to make such a fun and exciting day.”