Article by Phoenix writer Isabel Connolly, ’23:

The School That Never Sleeps doesn’t nap in the summer months when Kellenberg offers various summer camp programs which provide something for any and all students.

Stretched over three weeks from June 28 – July 16, more than two dozen camps will entertain and instruct hundreds of kids.

Last year’s pandemic forced summer camps to be moved to a virtual format. Fortunately, this year camps can once again be in person. Even with limited capacity, over 1,000 of both current and new students have signed up for one of the many camps Kellenberg has to offer.

Whether it be a sports instructional camp such as girls soccer or boys basketball or an enrichment camp such as Model U.N., Robotics, or Culinary, there truly is a camp for every student. New additions to the summer camp roster include two new science camps.

A common favorite at Kellenberg is its camp, Catholic Experience. It usually fills up almost immediately. Many students enjoy the fun and faith-filled activities.

Sophomore Connor Ronan notes, “I love that the camp is centered around God but also has tons of fun games that can be parallel to our faith. The camp shows that we can find joy in our faith.”

Parents can register their children for camps at https://www.kellenberg.org/camps/, but act fast because space is limited!

Article by Phoenix writer Lillian Stern, ’22

The Science Olympiad Team has had a very successful season despite unprecedented setbacks. Lauren DeSantis, a junior team member, remarks, “COVID-19 required all of our competitions to become virtual throughout the 2020-2021 season. The team adapted by learning how to use sites, such as SciOly, to submit our test events and we even studied at home since the labs at Kellenberg were being renovated.” In their first virtual competition, called BEARSO, hosted by the University of California, seniors Julia Zacharski and Meaghan O’Keefe earned medals. On November 14, at Boyceville, the A team came in ninth place, while the B team defeated more than twenty competitors, coming in thirty-second place. Medals were won by senior Marc Scocca, junior, Josette Rivera, and sophomore, Angela Paxos. During December, the A Team came in ninth place while the B Team came in thirty-first at Northview. B team medalists include: seniors, Helen Andrade and Meghan Osonitsch as well as junior, Jonathan Duggan. Nearly a week later at North Pocono, the A team came in eighth place where juniors, Alexander Szulzycki, Rebecca Doyle, and freshman, John Arriola won medals for their respective events. Breaking in the new year at The University of Chicago, medals were won by seniors, Meaghan O’Keefe, Julia Zacharski, and Colin Donnelly. In February, at the University of Cincinnati competition, medals were earned by seniors: Julia Zacharski, Colin Donnelly, Grace Massillon, and Isabella Rajkovic, along with junior, James Cross, and freshman, John Arriola. Junior Lauren DeSantis recalls the team’s latest achievements, “I’m proud to say that the Science Olympiad Team still carried on to qualify for State Championships, a feat accomplished for the 25th consecutive year.” The Science Olympiad Team secured seventh in regionals and eighteenth in States. The team members of Science Olympiad Team have turned their hardships into arguably their most successful season.

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 Amir Jeudy, ’22

Track and Field is a sport filled with uncertainty. Track athletes spend months training and improving, but no one knows if they’ve done enough until they compete.

On May 16th the Kellenberg Girls Track Team squashed all uncertainty with a commanding win to capture the 2021 CHSAA Nassau-Suffolk League Championship. The team scored an overall 98 points, convincingly beating runner-up St. Anthony’s, who scored 72 points. This win solidifies the 6th consecutive spring track title for the Kellenberg girls team.

Standout performers include senior Madison Scott who won the 400m dash with a time of 1:00.81 and placed second in the 400m hurdles.

Junior Kathleen Healy also had an outstanding day winning the 2000m steeplechase with a time of 7:59.10 and placing 2nd in the 3000m run.

Senior Margaret McLoughlin won the 3000m run with a time of 11:15.23.

The team’s success wasn’t limited to just the track, however, as the girls team also had huge performances in the field events.

Junior Victoria Millisys won the shot put with a distance of 30.09 feet.

Freshman Martine Demesyeux won the triple jump with a distance of 32 feet.

Possibly the most impressive athlete of the day was junior Maeve Duggan. Maeve won the discus, throwing 86 feet, and placed second in the shot put. She was awarded League MVP for her outstanding performance.

When asked what led to her success, she answered, “The support of my teammates and the close bond that I have with them. Also always showing up to practice, and even throwing extra afterward put me in a position to win.”

The boys team also had a good day.

Junior Jeremy Martinez placed fourth in the 1600m run with a time of 4:41.74 and junior Bradley Lazo reached a huge mile personal record with a time of 4:52.77.

Junior Norbert Okoye had a great 200m dash placing third with a time of 23.54.

The girls and boys teams both look to improve and continue their success into next year.

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 showe

d 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.

Article by Phoenix writer Angelo Tsassis, ’22

The varsity level Softball team was honored with two top league awards on June 3. Senior Nicolette Picone was named NSCHSGAA Pitcher of the Year while junior Natalie Bottiglieri was named NSCHSGAA Player of the Year.

According to a very proud Coach Conrade, “It is not common for one team in the league to win both awards.” In fact, the last time KMHS won both of the prestigious awards in the same season was in 2012, when Varsity Softball was a nationally ranked team.

For the 2021 season, Bottiglieri batted .667 for the season and earned a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. From the pitching rubber, Picone tossed 8 wins and a save 1 save with116 strikeouts in 82.1 innings-pitched while allowing only 57 hits and an ERA under 1.00. At the plate Picone batted .418 and led the team with 21 RBI.

In addition to the NSCHSGAA Year awards, Picone and Bottiglieri earned All-League status along with three other varsity players: senior Cassandra Chamides, junior Samantha Grillo, and sophomore Lauren Babich.

The varsity squad went on a sizzling nine game win-streak entering the playoffs, resulting in an impressive 2nd place finish for the year.

Bottiglieri said, “The nine game win streak was great. We gained a lot of confidence through it, and even though we lost in the semi finals, I think we can still be proud of it.”

Clearly, the girls have an immense amount of skill on the roster, and with so much talent returning next year, Firebird fans have reason to be excited for the 2021-22 softball season.

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.

Article by Phoenix writer Angelo Tsassis, ’22:

The Kellenberg Memorial Girls’ Golf Team recently completed their immensely successful 2021 season. It was a magical year for the squad that ended with an undefeated 12-0 record and a league championship.

Leading the way was senior Claire Galante, who personally put up a sparkling 11-0 record en route to winning the NSCHSGAA player of the year. She is the third player from Kellenberg to ever win that award.

Claire also won Newsday’s athlete of the week for the final week in May. Asked about her achievements this year, Claire said, “I worked really hard to better my golf game over the years and it really feels amazing to see that hard work actually pays off. It’s an incredible honor and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.”

The team could never have gone undefeated this season if Galante was the only contributor. Senior Olivia Callahan and freshman Catherine Slade also had a fantastic season. Slade went a perfect 12-0 on the season, and Callahan collected a stellar 10-2 record.

In the League Tournament, which was an 18 hole competition, Coach Doran led his players to 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finishes by Slade, Galante, and Callahan, respectively. Overall, it was one of the most successful seasons in the history of Kellenberg Girls Golf, and with so much young talent on the team, a bright future is ahead.

Article by Phoenix writer Amir Jeudy, ’22:

On June 1 2021, the Kellenberg Wrestling Team competed in the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA League Tournament. This tournament, held at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington, was the first outdoor wrestling championship in league history.

The tournament lasted long into the night, but as the school that never sleeps, Kellenberg was up for the challenge, placing third overall, behind rivals Chaminade and St. Anthony’s. Along with a great team performance, 5 wrestlers were named champions out of 13 weight classes.

These wrestlers were James Perotta ‘23, Brendan Martin ‘23 , Anthony Iadevaio ‘21, Omar Reyes ‘21, and Hector Ketant ‘21. Omar Reyes had an outstanding competition, achieving the fastest pin of the night, a blazing 7 seconds. Reyes was also named Champion of Champions, which is the most outstanding wrestler, as voted by his peers.

When asked about the season, Senior Anthony Iadevaio said “This season was crazy but also very exciting because we were still able to have a season.” The wrestling team looks forward to having another impressive season next year.

Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek, ’24:

Starting Friday, May 28 and ending Saturday, May 29 of the Memorial Day Recess, Kellenberg Memorial’s Speech and Debate Team competed at the Virtual National Catholic Forensic League National Tournament.

Due to Covid, the competition was held over zoom instead of in-person at Washington D.C. like previous years had allowed. The team consisted of seniors Robert Nolan, Eddie Jansen, Helen Andrade, junior Brooke Cassatto, and sophomore Jake Truncale, all of whom qualified for this tournament.

Brooke and Eddie made up the Kellenberg Duo Interpretation Team, which broke to 28th place out of over four hundred teams during the Octo-Finals. This allowed them to compete Sunday, May 30 as well. Both of these Firebirds will receive an award for placing in the top 32 teams in the country from the National Catholic Forensic League.

After finding out the results, Brooke stated, “When I heard that, I was ecstatic! I was definitely not expecting it at all. I honestly couldn’t believe it, especially after hearing that Kellenberg hasn’t had a student break at nationals since 2016. I was so happy that Eddie and I were able to achieve this, and very proud to represent Kellenberg while doing so. I am so glad I decided to give Duo a try this season, and am looking forward to participating in it again next year along with my other categories.”

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.

Despite all of the challenges the pandemic presented, the Kellenberg varsity volleyball team continued to excel in the classroom by extending their streak of national recognition as recipients of the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for the seventh consecutive year! Scoffing at the restrictions imposed by remote learning, hybrid schedules, and cohort configurations, the 2021 squad posted a sensational 95.3% cumulative average for the 2020-2021 school year.

On July 19th, AVCAAwards Director Alice Rogers notified Coach von Schoenermarck about this achievement, explaining how “this award honors teams who have matched their dedication to the sport of volleyball with excellence in the classroom.” Representing the 2021 team were the following seventeen players: Paige Carroll, Carly Kane Leah Marchisotto, Rebecca Meier, Reilly Minnigan, Alyssa Romeo, Danielle Vadney, Shannon Butler, Hayley Judge, Megan Marsala, Caitlin Monaghan, Megan Monaghan, Teresa Moulder, Jamie Judge, Erin Kwiatkowski, Chloe Rachello, and Sophia Zakovic.

Be sure to catch the Lady Firebirds in action on court when the league season opens on September 14th at home against OLMA.

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.