“The pandemic brought enormous change for everyone at ChenMed,” said Gordon Chen, M.D. ’97, Chief Medical Officer. “Our social norm has changed drastically.”  

Gordon and his brother, ChenMed Chief Executive Officer Christopher Chen, M.D. ’94, are senior administrators of this physician-led, family-oriented organization committed to bringing superior healthcare to moderate-to-low income senior adults. 

When Calla Cissel ’11  became a nurse manager for Baptist Health Louisville’s 21-bed telemetry unit in November 2019, little did she know that just a few months later, she would be managing the hospital’s COVID-19 floor.

“Pine Crest truly gave me a strong foundation to deal with whatever life throws my way,” according to Dr. Kim Donaldson ’90.

Six months ago, Nicole Urban ’14 could not have imagined herself working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. In her role, Nicole works as a nurse in the neuro intensive care unit at New York Medical Center caring for patients with life-threatening neurological issues.  

In January 2020, Dr. Daniel Caplivski ’90 and his colleagues at Mount Sinai Medical Center began looking into cases of an unknown coronavirus spreading in China and Europe. Though they had not yet seen a case in New York City, they knew the hospital and city needed to prepare. Very quick action was needed, particularly converting all the hospital rooms within one week to accommodate the overnight hospitalization that local patients with the virus would inevitably require.

With more than two decades of experience as a cardiologist and internal medicine physician, Dr. Ken Zelnick ’90 has treated infections of all types. Now on the front line of treating COVID-19 patients in Broward County, Ken shares that this virus is different: “For the first time in my career, we do not have answers and are forced to continually try new methods and therapies to save lives.”

Jordyn Elliott ’16 was busy during her time as a Pine Crest student! Playing soccer for both Pine Crest and a travel team, Jordyn was thrilled when she was offered a spot on the University of California at Berkeley women’s soccer team.

Michele (McNichol) Stocker ’83 has come full circle in her Pine Crest experience over the course of 40 years— first as a student, then as an alumna, parent, and parent of an alumna, and now as Chair of the School’s Board of Trustees.

Stephanie (Shank) Correa ’87 and Tony Correa ’87 are high school sweethearts and business partners running a network of veterinary clinics and hospitals, Animal Cancer Care Clinic (ACCC). ACCC was envisioned by Stephanie, a veterinarian who saw a need for comprehensive cancer treatment for dogs and cats.

Kevin Boothe ’01 is a former professional football player, having played for the Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants.

After graduating from Pine Crest, Kevin attended Cornell University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration. He was drafted to the NFL in 2006 and returned to the classroom to earn his Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University in 2013.

Jared Firestone ’08 is a south Florida native, 2022 Olympic hopeful, and Skeleton racer.

As a Pine Crest School Class of 1981 alumna, teacher, coach, and parent of two alumni, Calla ’11 and Chandler ’14 Cissel, Jana Blackwell’s Panther Pride runs deep.

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.

Walk along a New York City sidewalk for long enough and you may discover a delicious slice of pizza, a one-of-a-kind retail flagship store, dozens of high-rise buildings — and miles and miles of scaffolding, also known as sidewalk sheds.

Since graduating from Pine Crest School in 2008, Dawid Goszczycki earned an undergraduate degree and returned to his native country of Poland to join his family’s bakery business.

After being diagnosed with a severe gluten intolerance five years ago, Brooke Bal ’10 knew she needed to pay more attention to the ingredients in the food she ate.

About two years ago, Alexander Waldman ’10, Andrea Abtahi ’10, and Michael Kenton ’10 were celebrating a fellow alumnus’ birthday.

Brad Austin ’97 began his undergraduate career thinking he was going to be a veterinarian. “When I started at the University of Florida, they wanted you to declare a major right away,” said Brad. “I found Animal Sciences and thought, ‘I like animals, I like being outside,’ and it seemed cool.”

Previously published on May 6, 2016.

Long-time Pine Crest School Dance Director, Brenda Gooden, retired in June 2017 after teaching at Pine Crest for 36 years.