Congratulations to our talented and competing students in the Latin School. They participated in the annual Catholic Daughters of the Americas contest sponsored by the Bishop Kellenberg Court located in North Merrick, NY.  The entries of the six winning students exemplified the themes of “Whatever You Do for the Least of My Brethren, You Do for Me” or “Helping the Needy Where I Live.”  The contestants demonstrated their skills, imagination, and creativity in their selected essays, poetry, art, computer art, music, and photography samples.  Awarded were the following sixth and eighth grade students:  POETRY – Leah Tilocca (6), Lucas Spector (6);  ART – Isabella Rollo (6), Ella DeCamp (6); COMPUTER ART – Steven Jankowski (6); and MUSIC – Evan Carroll (8). An awards ceremony and celebration was held in March 2017 at the Sacred Heart School in Merrick to reward their achievements with prizes and certificates from the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Assemblyman David McDonough, and Senator John Brooks. Congratulations to our accomplished winners and their notable achievements.

Lady Firebirds dominated the Monsignor Farrell Invitational on April 1, 2017 winning 5 events outright, and placing in 6 other events. Pictured here (left to right): (1) Maya Richardson anchoring the distance medly team of Julia Bryant, Grace Browne and Brianna Lausev to an upset victory over Notre Dame Academy; (2) Julia Bryant leading fellow Firebird Ceara Conroy to a 1, 2 finish in the 800 M; (3) Megan Carelus winning the 400 IM hurdles; and (4) the winning 4 x 100 M relay team including Gabby Bussereth, Megan Carelus, Chrissy Foster and Gillian Blackwood. Kayra Theodore also won the high jump!

On Wednesday, March 29, Senior members of the Health Science Club had the opportunity to see their passion in action. The students visited NUMC in East Meadow. They toured a variety of floors ranging from the Emergency Department to the NICU.

On Wednesday, March 29, the Varsity and JV Academic Quizbowl teams attended regionals at Plainview Old Bethpage High school. Only 54 of the best teams from across Long Island were invited to participate. After an outstanding performance, both teams took home third place in their division. The Varsity team was represented by Captain Calvin Bernic ’17, Aidan Dowd ’18, Evan Katsounis ’18, and Aidan York ’20. Tyler Martinus ’19 led the Junior Varsity team alongside Michael Garcia ’17, Gerasimos Mikies Copoulos ’18, and Victor Louie ’20. Each team began the night on a winning streak, remaining undefeated until losing the last round against Commack High School. Congratulations to both teams and good luck at Nationals!

This past weekend, Erin Gallagher ’18, Kathleen Peknic ’18, Rachel Siegel ’20, and Faith Agolia’18 were selected to participate in the 13th annual LIU Post Band Festival at the Tilles Center.  Selected students worked with renown composer Andrew Boysen Jr. as well as Dr. James McRoy of LIU Post over the weekend and performed a concert at Tilles Center Sunday night.  In total there were 34 schools represented. Kellenberg Memorial was the only Catholic school to have students selected.  This honor is equivalent to being a member of an All-State and All-County group — very select, for top musicians.

Picture L to R: Erin Gallagher ’18, Kathleen Peknic ’18, Rachel Siegel ’20, & Faith Agolia’18

By AxcessBaseball.com’s Vinny Messana:

Not a bad start to the varsity career for University of Miami-commit Jason Diaz. The sophomore fired three perfect innings with seven strikeouts during an overpowering outing this afternoon against St. Mary’s in a mercy win for Kellenberg.

The reigning CHSAA champs wasted no time getting the offense going with a huge first inning. After back-to-back walks to Terrance Murray and Andrew Steidle, third-place hitter Justin Renner brought them both in with a long HR to left to make it 3-0.

After Nick Quatromani reached on an error and James May walked, Diaz reached on an error to load up the bases. Robert Chesney drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-0 and Brett Carpentieri increased the lead to 6-0 with a two-run double. Renner recorded his fourth RBI of the inning when he drew a bases loaded walk to make it 8-0.

Read the full article here: http://www.axcessbaseball.com/2017/04/07/jason-diaz-sharp-in-kellenbergs-win-over-st-marys/

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.

The “Lady Firebird” Track and Field team traveled back to the famed Nanuet Relays for the first time in five years and made it a memorable trip! The team dominated the 50th anniversary of the upstate Meet from start to finish. Winning the very first varsity race of the day, the 3×400 intermediate hurdle race behind the efforts of Kiersten Cote, Mary Casey, and Megan Carelus, the team closed with a victory in the 4×400 meter relay, the last event of the day, behind the efforts of Gabby Bussereth, Julia Bryant, Tori Duignan, and Cote. The Sprint Medley Relay team of Olivia Coletta, Kaitlin Romaine, Camryn Beckford, and Madeline Lay also made it to the finish line first upsetting pre-meet favorites MSIT. Maureen Lewin ran to two silver medals in the Distance Medley Relay, and the 4x mile as did Brianna Lausev, and Ceara Conroy, and Maya Richardson. The 4×100 relay team of Gillian Blackwood, Chrissy Foster, Gabby Bussereth, and Beckford came inches from being the first Kellenberg team ever to win a 4×100 relay at Nanuet with their valiant silver medal performance!

By Newsday’s Mike Ruiz:

Kellenberg understands the significance of poise after winning the CHSAA baseball title last season. After St. John the Baptist responded quickly in the fourth inning on Tuesday, James Dieguez displayed plenty of it.

Dieguez ripped a double just past a diving third baseman in the bottom of the fourth to put the Firebirds ahead for good in a 6-2 victory over St. John the Baptist.

“I just wanted to put the ball in play,” Dieguez said. “This is a big series and I just wanted to give us the lead.”

St. John the Baptist evened the score at 2 in the top of the fourth on a line-drive single to right by Matt Archer, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

(Credit: James Escher)

Read the full article on Newsday.com: http://www.newsday.com/sports/high-school/baseball/james-dieguez-doubles-home-go-ahead-run-in-kellenberg-s-win-1.13489664

As the sole representatives of the state of New York in the “Connecticut Distance Classic” held at Trinity College on a misty Friday April night, a quartet of Kellenberg runners didn’t disappoint! Sophomore Maureen Lewin and junior Julia Bryant finished 1-2 in the 800 meters in times of 2:19.18, and 2:20.12 respectively. The pair upended higher seeded runners from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. Teammates Maya Richardson and Ceara Conroy ran to seasonal bests, a good omen the week before their participation as the only CHSAA member female team to qualify for the Penn Relays 3200 meter relay.

Easter break wouldn’t be complete without a STEM event for 11 juniors. iFLY Westchester in Yonkers, New York gave these students a structured understanding of the physics of skydiving, explained the engineering that makes the iFLY wind tunnel work, and helped students calculate their fall velocities. After a few demos and flight training, each student enjoyed two flights to get the feel of actual skydiving.

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.”

On Tuesday, April 25, the Latin School gathered for their annual Math Bee.  Thirty-two contestants (one winner and one runner-up from each of the Latin School Math classes) were ready to meet the challenges of mental calculation.  The competition was extremely fierce with many students giving immediate answers to difficult problems.  The moderators were even put to the test to find questions that could challenge the participants!

As the audience waited in suspense and expressed support for their favorite contestants, one student emerged victorious over all: Julia Lawless!  Julia was able to answer every question put to her without hesitation showing remarkable mental acuity.  She was the only contestant to answer correctly in the final round.  After she was declared the winner, those who had gotten out in that round were all called back in order to try to win the place of “runner-up” which was no easy task in such a group of talented students.

In the end, Kerrin O’Grady and Caroline Lopez were left, with Kerrin taking the second-place win.  Congratulations to all participants who did an outstanding job! Julia and Kerrin are now eligible to represent the Latin School in the Invitational Math Bee to be held at KMHS on May 17, 2017.

L to R: Julia Lawless ’21, Miss Maria Korzekwinski, Kerrin O’Grady ’21

by News 12 Varsity’s Patrick McCormack:

Kellenberg led St. John the Baptist by a goal at the half, but the Firebirds knew they weren’t playing their best game.

Going into the second half, Kellenberg recognized what it had to do to be better.

“We had to attack the cage more,” junior Dylan Willis said, “We were playing into their zone allowing them to hold us up, we had to push it more.”

it did.

The Firebirds’ offense exploded for nine second-half goals en route to a 14-8 victory over the Cougars Thursday afternoon at St. John the Baptist High School.

“To beat this team, we just needed to play faster than them and not go into their zone,” Willis said.

In the beginning of the second half, Kellenberg (4-8) went to work. Brendan Kelly drove to the cage and shot the ball wide, the rebound also went wide, but it set up a shot from the top from Ryan Barrett to make it a 6-4 game.

Photo by Victoria Lodi

– See more at: http://www.news12varsity.com/long-island/second-half-push-leads-kellenberg-past-st-john-the-baptist-1.1869186?p=#sthash.tB0XXRVd.dpuf

The Kellenberg Girl’s track team had its best group performance at the annual Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa. The team competed in the 4×100, the 4×400, and the 4×800 relays. The team had one of the top three NY Catholic school performances in the 4×100 and the 4×400 and ran to the NY Catholic school season’s best performance in the 4×800. Pictured here, the team, after competing, engaged in their signature show of Sportsmanship and friendship with their local rival, Sacred Heart Academy.

The Kellenberg Boys 4×400 Relay Team of Erik Brown, Joshua Michel, Jarrett Gilreath, and John Capozzoli ran to a season best at the Pennsylvania Relays in Philadelphia, PA.  The Firebirds ran against teams from California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and even one from St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. Back on Long Island Junior David Lozipone ran a career best 4:23 in the mile to take 2nd at the Nassau Coaches Invite at MacArthur High School in Levittown. Congratulations, boys!

By AxcessBaseball.com’s Tyler Marko:

Playing at Eisenhower Park on a beautiful spring day, Kellenberg won a crucial game against Chaminade 9-1. Thanks to a huge offensive fifth inning, a dominant start from lefty Chris Cappas and some exquisite defense the Firebirds took two of the three games in this series.

Cappas started strong, striking out the opposing side in order to start the first. He then helped his own cause with an RBI single to left that put his side on the board in the bottom of the first.

Lian Dvorak was on the mound for Chaminade, and after that first run he began to settle down. It was a classic pitchers duel until Kellenberg erupted for eight runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Jack Delany started the scoring that inning with a single to right that brought in Andrew Russell. That signaled the end for Dvorak, but not for Kellenberg’s offense. A bloop single and a walk loaded the bases for Justin Renner, who drove in Delany with a single to right. Another run scored on a double by Terrence Murray, and two more came around on singles from Russell and James Dieguez.

Read the full article on AxcessBaseball.com: http://www.axcessbaseball.com/2017/04/29/chris-cappas-leads-kellenberg-to-a-9-1-win-over-chaminade/

Chrissy Foster and Maureen Lewin led the sophomore team to an impressive win at The annual CHSAA Sophomore Intersectional Championships, and Camryn Beckford’s double win in the 100 and 400 led the freshman to their CHSAA Intersectional team title in even more dramatic fashion. Foster won the 200 and 400 meters, while Lewin win the 1500 and 800. The sophomores scored in all but two events. The freshman as far back as fifth place halfway through the meet, roared back in the two final events. Eliana DeFreitas ran to a huge win in the high hurdles with Clare O’Regan taking third to come within a point and a half of the all day leader. The quartet of DeFreitas, Nicole Aponte, Rose Harnett, and Catherine Cooke all ran to personal bests to win the 4×400 relay in an upset, and seal the exciting decisive team victory!

This past April, members of the squire division from the Bro. Joseph C. Fox Latin School were selected from National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) members across the nation for outstanding achievement.

Every year the NJHS Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes 500 exceptional  students nationwide with a $500 college savings award. The award seeks to highlight members of the NJHS who have demonstrated excellence in the five pillars: scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. This year marks the first time a Latin School student has received this award.

Those awarded were Tara Brennan, Caroline Lopez, Molly McGoldrick, Carmela Musso, Eliana Orlic, and Veronica Tadross. Besides maintaining excellent grades and fulfilling the requirements of membership to the National Junior Honor Society, these six students went above and beyond by helping in other areas of the school, their parishes and communities. The outstanding leadership and service of these students included acts such as tutoring younger students after school, coaching sports camps for students with special needs and volunteering at local animal shelters.

When asked about receiving the award, the students remarked, “often times you feel like middle school doesn’t count toward college and it was very rewarding to be recognized for our hard work and service as a middle school students with something that will help later in life for college.”

It is this same hard work and dedication to helping others that embodies not only the spirit of the National Junior Honor Society, but that of Kellenberg and the Brother Joseph C. Fox Latin School. Congratulations to our winners!

On Saturday night, the Varsity Softball team defeated Mepham High School 7-4 in the 6th annual benefit game. Madison Keller and Ashley Faccilonga pitched well for the win. Caroline Bratichak had 3 hits and 4 runs-batted-in while Hannah Gaudioso, Kaitlin Maniscalco, Megan Harvey, and Stephanie Conrade added 2 hits a piece.

The team would like to thank everyone for their generosity as they raised more than $5,300 for the Lustgarten Foundation.