March Camp Update

by Ariella Rogge on March 11

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Dear Friends—

The safety and health of our campers and staff is always our highest priority at camp and we have a long history of planning for and managing communicable diseases. While we have no immediate concerns, we are closely following the evolving progression of the coronavirus disease and are staying abreast of all CDC updates.

Our standard health practices over many years reflect exactly what the CDC has recommended to avoid the spread of COVID-19. We have communicable disease plans in place that will be revised in cooperation with public health authorities as additional COVID-19 guidance is provided. We have an excellent relationship with our local public health department and are working closely with them to maintain effective protocols for the identification and appropriate treatment of any illness that may occur at camp, including COVID-19.

Our nursing staff has always performed health screenings for all campers and staff upon arrival at camp and we are updating these screening guidelines to make sure they include the current best practices recommended by public health authorities. As always, we will urge staff and campers to delay their arrival at camp if they are feeling ill.

We have always stressed the importance of thorough handwashing in camp and will redouble our efforts in this regard. We also provide hand sanitizers in main camp buildings and on trips. Other sanitary practices we teach and enforce are coughing etiquette and never sharing water bottles or personal supplies.

Cleanliness in our kitchens and other camp buildings has always been a priority. Our cooks are trained in ServSafe practices developed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and we use appropriate, effective disinfectants throughout our kitchens, lodges, and other facilities. The Health Department will inspect our kitchens, as always, before camp begins.

We have very few international campers and staff and are monitoring all international warnings and restrictions. Our health history form also asks about international travel during the 9 months preceding camp and we will be following up with families who may have visited highly impacted areas.

Camp is a young and healthy community. We have five RNs on our summer staff and work closely with nearby MDs. We are looking forward to a summer of fun, friendship, growth and incredible adventures in the Colorado Rockies. We will provide update information as it becomes available. Please feel free to call and speak with one of our directors if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Mike MacDonald
Executive Director
Colorado Outdoor Education Center

Sanborn Western Camps * The Nature Place * High Trails Outdoor Education Center

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Ariella Rogge
About Ariella Rogge

Ariella started her career at Sanborn when she was twelve. After five years of camper and five years of Sanborn staff experience, she continued her work with kids in the high school classroom. Ariella and her family returned to Sanborn in 2001 to take on the Program Director role which she held til 2012. She and Elizabeth Marable became co-directors of High Trails in 2013 and then Ariella became the High Trails Director in 2020. In the fall of 2022 she became the Director of Sanborn Western Camps, overseeing the director teams of both Big Spring and High Trails. She lists mountain golf, Gymkhana, climbing mountains and making Pad Thai in the backcountry as some of her favorite activities at camp. Ariella received a B.A. in English from Colorado College and is a certified secondary English educator,an ACCT Level 2 Ropes Course Technician, an ARC lifeguard and NREMT and WEMT. She lives in Florissant in the summer and in Green Mountain Falls during the school year so she can stay involved with the busy lives of her husband, Matt, and two teenage sons, Lairden and Karsten.