By Isabel Connolly ’23:
Tests, quizzes, projects, papers and reports: all are landmarks of a high school education. At Kellenberg, however, the academic life manifests itself beyond the classroom. As the school that never sleeps, Kellenberg is the school that never stops learning, where students take what they have learned and apply it to a Science Olympiad or Model UN competition. As the class of 2023 takes flight we can appreciate all the growth and accomplishments that we have achieved, both personally and as a student body.
With all finals completed, the class of 2023 looked toward the last celebration of their academic achievements: graduation. As each student walked across the stage in the Hofstra Arena on June 4, they were given any awards they had received and their high school diploma. Many students who had excelled at particular subjects or activities were given additional recognition. Some of these awards include the General Excellence Award and Student-Athlete Award.
A full list of the award recipients can be found here.
Katelyn Takes, recipient of the History Award, reflected on her achievement, saying, “Receiving the academic award for History would sound crazy to freshman me. History was never an easy subject for me so I was overjoyed that all my hard work had paid off.”
The STEM curriculum has certainly evolved within the class of 2023’s four years. As one of the first years to be offered science electives, many seniors opted to take a more individualized course that the student may enjoy more or would better prepare them for college courses. Such offerings include health sciences, engineering, forensics, environmental sciences, sports medicine, geology and astronomy.
One student who appreciated the freedom the science electives provided was Angelina Scalice, member of Kellenberg’s Science Olympiad team and recipient of the Science Award. She reflected on how helpful and exciting her astronomy course was. She found it to be the best part of her day, saying, “From watching footage of NASA’s DART mission to using real spectroscopes in the labs, the class was undoubtedly one of the best opportunities I was able to take advantage of at Kellenberg.”
Between labs and extracurriculars, the science department truly flourished for the Class of 2023. This was in large part due to the creation of the Jim and Diane Rowen Stem Center. Thanks to these generous donors, new state-of-the-art facilities debuted for use in 2021.
Another exciting introduction for the Class of 2023 was a wide range of Math course offerings. The graduating class was composed of students studying statistics and finance, pre-calculus, calculus, and calculus II.
Ashley Dellolio, recipient of the Alicia Walsh Academic Excellence in Mathematics Award, appreciated the vast array of offerings. When discussing her decision to take calculus II in senior year, she noted, “Taking advanced math classes was definitely challenging. However, the staff encouraged collaboration with fellow classmates on assignments such as take home quizzes, which not only helped me succeed, but also helped me learn to work with others and form new friendships in the process.”
The class of 2023 has certainly had a unique experience as Firebirds. Freshman year ended in lockdown with finals shifted to final projects. However, in perfect Kelenberg fashion, many students found the good in that time. When students came back for the 2021-2022 year in their cohorts, they discovered new opportunities to connect as they stayed with their same group of students. 
Isabella Yew of Cohort 10T remembers the many outdoor walks and times to reflect that sophomore year offered. She notes, “Cohort year allowed us to experience a completely different aspect of school. Covid forced all of us to grow up so fast and be concerned about things we would never have thought about. Being able to eat lunch on the field with friends and play any sort of game on the fields allowed us to be the kids that we were.”
As students entered junior year, they began the daunting college admissions process. They took their first steps toward leaving the Bird’s Nest during college information nights. Kellenberg assisted with a college essay and Naviance boot camp. The program Naviance became the students’ best friend as they began submitting their college applications, allowing for more efficient submissions. The students were able to celebrate their respective college choices on their final class day when they traded in their blue and gold for their new college gear.
Senior year came with new opportunities to be leaders in the school. Whether as community or hospitality leaders, this graduating class was committed to service. There is no better intersection of service and academics than through the National Honor Society. Every year Kellenberg inducts new juniors and seniors into the society if they have maintained a cumulative average of 85 or above and are involved in an extracurricular. As members of the society they are required to serve at school events. Kellenberg further supports its NHS chapter with its senior officers. The officers, as voted by the class, were Olivia Carmody, Jamie Judge, Matthew Meaney, and Jake Truncale. When reflecting on his time serving as officer, Matthew Meaney says, “Being an NHS officer was an extremely rewarding and beneficial experience. To be able to take a leadership role within those events not only benefited me as a person but allowed me to serve my community.”
Through all the projects and papers, the graduating class has worked with a mind toward service. One student who recognizes the importance of academic achievement and assisting others is Memphis Ling, who was voted Most Studious by the Class of 2023. Known for his helpful study guides, Memphis notes “The intense studying helped me realize that we are succeeding as a whole, not just individually.” When reflecting on Kellenberg’s academics he believes, “One word I would use to describe Kellenberg’s academics is flexibility. The courses, though challenging at times, pushed us to be more flexible with our time and gave us a drive to study efficiently and effectively.”
The Kellenberg academics have well prepared its newest alumni for the new challenges we will face. While we had a completely unique four year experience, we will leave with an understanding of the importance of learning and growing.