Fall 2025
Director’s Note
In many parts of Northern California, this time of year is affectionately known as “the Crush,” the informal name for grape harvest season. Vineyards come alive with the work of gathering clusters of all varietals, ready to be picked after ripening all summer long. Harvest can’t be successful without a great deal of timing and trust: the vines have been carefully tended; now the growers decide when the grapes are mature enough to pick.
LISA GIARRATANO Director of College Counseling
The fruit cannot be hurried; it needs time, space, and the right conditions to develop its fullest character.”
Similarly, our students have been cultivating their interests and strengths for years: nurturing curiosity in the classroom, resilience on the field, creativity in the studio, and kindness in their communities. Now, as seniors, it is time to bring those experiences forward, selecting the ripest examples to showcase in essays and applications.
Parents, much like vintners, your role is not to rush the harvest but to honor the process. The fruit cannot be hurried; it needs time, space, and the right conditions to develop its fullest character. This is where your role as steady guides is most important.
And trust me, I get it. It can be tempting to focus solely on the end result—the “yield” of a specific admission outcome—but I encourage you to celebrate the harvest itself: the maturity, reflection, and growth you’ve witnessed in your child throughout their high school journey.
This year, let’s remind ourselves that “the Crush,” while labor-intensive and a little chaotic, is the culmination of years’ worth of tending and transformation. And our harvest is abundant! Your children are ready for their next iteration; college applications are simply the vessel that will carry their unique vintage forward. Cheers to a successful application season!
“I encourage you to celebrate the harvest itself: the maturity, reflection, and growth you’ve witnessed in your children throughout their high school journey.”
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