For Freddy Rosenthal ’26, Pine Crest has been part of the family story for as long as he can remember.
His grandmother, Ms. Hedy Rosenbaum, taught Upper School social science in the 1980s. His mother, Marci (Rosenbaum) Rosenthal ’89, graduated from Pine Crest, with her two older sisters. One by one, eight grandchildren followed, as each sister enrolled her own children at Pine Crest. This spring, Freddy became the youngest and final grandchild to graduate from Pine Crest, bringing a decades-long family chapter to a close.
Ask Freddy about that milestone, though, and he quickly shifts the conversation away from himself. His grandmother, he joked, is both excited and sad.
"She's excited about not having to drive down here as often," he said with a laugh. "And very sad too!" The response is classic Freddy: thoughtful, funny and focused on the people around him.
Growing up, he heard stories about Pine Crest at family dinners, holiday gatherings and celebrations. The message was remarkably consistent. "This is the place you want to be," he recalled hearing from parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. "This place will set you up really well for the future."
As older cousins began graduating from universities across the country, they returned with another observation: Pine Crest had prepared them exceptionally well for what came next. Now, as he prepares to begin his own college journey, Freddy understands exactly what they meant.
Over his 14 years at school, Freddy sang in the chorus, competed on the swim team, performed in “Macbeth,” participated in Shakespeare Out Loud, Poetry Out Loud and served on Honor Court, eventually becoming its senior chair. Asked whether he was involved in student government as well, he laughed. "I had to leave something for the other kids!"
The joke reflects a student who genuinely embraced nearly every opportunity available to him. That willingness to explore different interests also shaped the friendships he built along the way. "I feel like my circle was half the senior class," he said. Part of that came from spending nearly his entire life at Pine Crest. More importantly, it came from saying yes to new experiences. Every activity introduced him to a new group of classmates, and every new group expanded his community.
For Freddy, one of the greatest gifts of Pine Crest has been the people. Among them, few have had a bigger impact than Aquatics Director Coach Mariusz Podkoscielny. "He's been the person I look up to ever since I met him years and years ago," Freddy said. "He's accomplished so much, but when you think about him, the first thing you think about is how kind he is."
It is a quality Freddy clearly values.
As accomplished as he is, he speaks less about his own achievements than he does about the teachers, coaches and friends who shaped his academic experience. What makes Freddy especially difficult to summarize is that he seems equally energized by subjects that rarely appear in the same conversation.
Ask him about chemistry and he lights up discussing molecules, reactions and the way Post-AP Organic Chemistry changed how he understands science. One of his favorite courses in the Upper School, the class helped solidify his plans to pursue chemistry in college.
Ask him about music and the enthusiasm is exactly the same. A pianist, guitarist and longtime chorus member, Freddy credits AP Music Theory with opening an entirely new way of understanding music. Learning how to analyze and write music challenged him in ways unlike any other class he had taken.
Both passions will travel with him to the University of Chicago, where he plans to double major in chemistry and music theory while pursuing a pre-med track. While the combination may seem unusual. For Freddy, it makes perfect sense. "I don't want to spend four years doing only one thing," he explained.
The decision feels entirely aligned with the student his classmates and teachers know: someone whose interests are broad, and whose curiosity is too strong, to fit neatly into a single category.
Balancing those interests was not always easy. Swimming before sunrise, challenging academics, music, leadership responsibilities and a full schedule often meant long days and occasional late nights. His strategy was simple. "If a teacher gives you free time in class, use it. Don't goof off with your friends," he said.
Practical advice from someone who learned to make the most of every available minute.
Next year, Freddy will also continue swimming, this time in a maroon swimsuit, where his endurance events, particularly the mile and distance freestyle races, will remain a major part of his life. Before heading to campus, he will spend part of the summer representing Team USA at the Maccabi Games in Israel.
The opportunities ahead are exciting, but Freddy remains deeply appreciative of the place that helped prepare him for them. When asked what he would want alumni to know about today's Pine Crest students, his answer reflected both gratitude and optimism.
"There are more opportunities and more things to get involved in than ever before," he said. "If somebody wants to do something here, they can."
Although Freddy comes from a long line of Pine Crest alumni, he leaves with something entirely his own: a community built through curiosity, friendship and a willingness to embrace every opportunity that came his way. That may be the most meaningful legacy of all.