We are honored to shine a spotlight on Todd ’95 and Caroline Rosenberg. Todd is a proud Pine Crest alumnus, and he and Caroline are the parents of Dylan ’25, Julian ’28, and Gavin ’30.
For the Rosenbergs, sending their children to Pine Crest was never a question.
“My experience as a student at Pine Crest was incredible,” said Todd. “How could I not want to give my children the opportunity to come here?”
“Ever since we met,” said Caroline, “Todd has always spoken about his friends and memories from Pine Crest. We just knew we wanted our children to be here.”
“The first day I dropped Dylan off at school, it was emotional,” said Todd. “I was taken by the idea that I was dropping my first son off at the school I attended. It was such a meaningful experience for me.”
“When I was a student, I didn’t appreciate everything the School offered. Now as a parent, I come here and enjoy my children’s experience and what they go through — see how incredible it is. I immediately recognize how much more the School has to offer and how much more thoughtful it has become, and I can appreciate that as a parent.”
Todd started at Pine Crest in the sixth grade.
“I was one of the few kids from my previous school to make it to Pine Crest,” he said. “It was a hard transition for me. Even though I was just a kid, I immediately recognized that my peers who started in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten had the building blocks they needed. Everything they needed was ingrained in them from a very young age, and they were far better prepared to succeed. I had a much harder time. I feel good knowing my kids are getting the foundation they need to get through the more challenging times in Middle and Upper School and will graduate with an incredible education.”
“What always blows me away,” said Caroline, “is when we see our kids get up in front of an audience, perform, and actually know what they are doing. They are way ahead of where I was at their age. When we attend the concerts and shows, I am amazed at how bright and coordinated they are, and that they have the confidence to get in front of strangers and do what they do. We love that Pine Crest thrusts them into public speaking and gives them the confidence to do it well.”
The Rosenbergs have been giving to The Pine Crest Fund for 12 years.
“I look back at my undergrad and graduate experiences, and I say if it wasn’t for Pine Crest and what I learned from sixth to twelfth grade, those experiences would have been a lot harder than they were,” said Todd. “Many of the things I think I am good at today are because of Pine Crest.”
“We see how successful our kids are, and that is what makes us want to give every year,” said Caroline. “Our children are being educated here, but our appreciation is deeper than that. We trust and believe that the School administration knows what they are doing.”
This year, Todd and Caroline established the Rosenberg Family Inclusion Aid Award. Pine Crest School Inclusion Aid provides resources for students who could not otherwise afford enrichment and academic activities that are outside of the classroom.
When asked why inclusion aid struck a chord with them, Todd said, “We always wanted to do something more, but hadn’t found the right fit — something that would be meaningful in helping students who don’t necessarily have the resources our kids have. When we heard about the discrepancy between the amount of financial aid for tuition, which is substantial, relative to the lack of funds available to those same students to pay for all of the things Pine Crest offers at extra cost to help students succeed during their school years, we were shocked. We knew right away we needed to help bridge this gap.”
“Access to extras like the Learning Network, after school programs, class trips, transportation to and from school, and attendance at academic and athletic competitions are what inclusion aid helps to cover,” said Todd. “These are important for students to be included in the Pine Crest experience.”
“The Learning Network here is the best; sometimes students need to have that extra support for a year, and then they are able to excel,” said Caroline. “These things come with a cost, and we wanted to level the playing field for all children regardless of their ability to pay to have every opportunity and to get every experience that Pine Crest has to offer.”
“It makes us feel good to give back,” said Todd. “Nothing happens without people getting behind it. That doesn’t just mean financially. People’s effort and time is so valuable for the School, and this is something we know we can help with.”