Navigating the Texas Tragedy

by Ariella Rogge on July 06

We want to express our solidarity with you, your families and with the entire Texas community as we all grapple with the devastating flood in the Texas Hill Country and, specifically, the tragedy that continues to unfold for the families and friends of the missing Camp Mystic campers as well as for the whole of the Camp Mystic and Heart of the Hills camp communities.

Experiencing directly, even indirectly, a natural disaster of this magnitude immediately prior to leaving for camp can raise additional fears and concerns beyond missing home or feeling nervous about a new–or even known–environment. It creates questions that none of us have adequate answers for and that uncertainty can lead to additional questions and, sometimes, significant fear.

As parents and youth development professionals, we want to protect our kids as much as we can while helping them gain skills to navigate the world, but sometimes we–as the adults–cannot answer the question, “Why did this happen?”

What we can do is provide them with opportunities to ask questions that we do have the answers for, such as: how we handle emergency situations at camp, what we would do if we were evacuated, who they should talk to if they are feeling uncertain or afraid, and how they, and we, will communicate with you throughout their time at camp.

If you or your camper have any questions about camp, our emergency preparedness plans, or any other questions that come to mind, please do not hesitate to call us directly at 719-748-3341. Our property is not subject to flooding, and we do have a robust evacuation plan in place in case of a wildland fire as well as other emergency response plans.

We also have strong communication and personal relationships with all of the local and regional emergency service providers, who understand the scope of our property and program and who have worked closely with us in the past.

Please reach out if you have questions or would like to discuss any topics in more depth.

Sincerely,
Ariella Rogge
Director, Sanborn Western Camps

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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 sons, Lairden and Karsten.