Editorial note: Historical content from 2020.

Camp Sequoia opened and had a healthy and successful summer in 2020. But it wasn’t easy. As news of increased case counts of COVID-19 made the news and different states developed different benchmarks for opening, threading the needle to meet local and state regulations for the summer of 2020 was a challenge to say the least. Many good camps weren’t willing or able to open this summer. Recognizing the value of camping, we want to share with the greater camping community what worked for us.

Running a COVID free residential camp where kids could thrive in summer 2020 was our goal– and we succeeded. Our kids were safe and 100% COVID free. Our staff was safe and 100% COVID free. Our approaches may not make sense for others, but the results speak for themselves.

What looked different about Camp Sequoia this summer?

First and foremost, let me be very clear. Camp Sequoia operated this summer in a new location. We made several meaningful structural changes to allow our kids to thrive. We made significant programmatic changes, radically changed certain health and staff-related procedures, added sanitizing foggers, enhanced handwashing and greatly increased education and mentorship of kids on appropriate places and spaces to make this summer a success. What we did worked for us. It kept campers and staff at Camp Sequoia safe.

How did the community come together? Camp Sequoia followed a multi-pronged approach to opening up COVID free. Camp Sequoia tested all staff and all campers prior to kids arriving on site. We retained Vault Health for COVID screening and its saliva-based test, developed at Rutgers, could be done at home and didn’t involve invasive nasal swabs. This saliva test, administered three days before the camper or staff member was supposed to arrive at camp, worked well for us – it excluded asymptomatic individuals from joining our community–which was the point really.

All members of our camp community also kept a daily signed health log for two weeks before arriving at camp. Our staff further quarantined together during staff training for two weeks at camp before campers arrived at the site.

Camper arrivals on site were staggered and communal transportation was reduced and operated at 50% normal passenger capacity. These transportation adjustments further reduced risks.

Luggage arrived separately from campers and was fogged upon arrival before it entered camper accommodations. We used EPA N-List chemicals for all of our fogging. Please feel free to contact us for additional details on specific cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection procedures.

What about food service? Meals were staggered, involved increased natural air ventilation, and clustered campers by bunk with 10 foot spaces between unlike ages. Children were monitored to use hand sanitizer within 45 seconds of receiving their food (served by on-site, COVID screened dining hall staff). Children were served by age group. Our staff performed all food receiving, storage, prep and service according to updated ServSafe COVID guidelines.

How did you handle bathroom and shower use? We limited bathroom use in public areas (accessible to multiple age groups) and encouraged bunk specific bathroom use. The dining hall was fogged (see note above) before and after each meal. Bunk bathrooms were fogged daily and common shared spaces were fogged multiple times per day.

Did you do any trips? We did not take our campers off site to any place where they could interact outside of our bubble. This is not to say that kids didn’t have excursions this summer. We did blueberry picking, horseback riding etc. where we could take the bubble with us and not break a 6 foot contact barrier with anyone outside of our community.

With regard to staff, during off hours, we provided enhanced staff recreational opportunities on site and limited staff movement off campus. With regard to camp’s ongoing and not always foreseeable need for materials, we obviously preferred to have needed items shipped to camp rather than go to the store but that was not always possible. For those rare occasions where we had to pick up, we had one dedicated staff person for each age group and each specialty to do all necessary curbside pickups for supplies for that group. These staff members went into town wearing masks and gloves and did not live with campers.

How did your staff support your mission? Our medical team did daily health screenings for the first 14 days of camp (given the known incubation period of COVID) with both campers and staff and an in-depth medical assessment each week and if there was any need so to do. We found that these screenings, done at breakfast, were non-invasive and were well received and accepted by our community. While we asked a lot of our staff, they delivered well. We had no fevers (regardless of cause) this summer. We had no colds, nor did we need to go to a hospital or urgent care with ANY cold, flu or COVID symptoms for any member of our community, camper or staff.

For questions or details about our approach, methods and successes in 2020, please feel free to reach out to us via email at office@camp-sequoia.com or give us a call at 610-771-0111.

Brian Lux, is the owner/director of Sequoia programs, serving ADHD, gifted and twice-exceptional young men. Details on his research based approaches can be found @ www.camp-sequoia.com or by email at office@camp-sequoia.com.

The views and opinions expressed in the article above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Camp Channel, Inc.

This article has been published to provide a first-hand account of one camp’s efforts and experience operating in the midst of Covid-19 during the summer of 2020; for the benefit of camp families, camp professionals, and the public at large. What may “work” for one camp might not for another.  We believe safety is of paramount importance and urge those seeking to attend a camp in 2021 use due diligence and contact a camp directly about their systems, protocols, and outcomes.

If you operated a camp or program during the summer of 2020, please contact us to discuss the possibility of sharing your experiences and insights on VerySpecialCamps.com.

I can still recall the babbling brook and the ancient oak that provided a perfect back rest at the first camp I attended. Since then, campers (and staff) have seen a technological revolution boggles the mind. According to NASA even the now outdated iPhone 5 has 240,000 times the memory than was on Voyager I, the first human made craft to enter interstellar space. Suffice it to say, the world that campers today face is substantially different from the one of my youth. From school systems pushing digital conversation and American children (on average) having their first smart phone before age 11, perhaps there is some wisdom in Bill Gates indicating to USA Today that his children were 14 before they had that level of connectivity. What does this mean for camps?

The research supports that meaningful social skills connections happen with authentic face to face interactions and not through superficial screen time. An authentic camp experience can scaffold the opportunity for social success without a 21st century security blanket of a phone or smart device. Camp can and should be a place to develop smart and socially resilient children in a nurturing and fun environment. Mindfulness and meditation are two strategies that give children back the tools of the awesome power of quietude. Over the last several years, Camp Sequoia has intentionally incorporated mindfulness and meditation training into our staff orientation, established places and systems for our campers to be able to recapture the serenity of a babbling brook, and conscious self-reflection. These programs add to a wide array of traditional camp activities and recognize the value and importance of teaching and modeling a level of personal reflection as we empower our campers to become the best version of themselves.

Specifically, we’ve identified two meditation garden locations, a bench under a majestic pin oak and a “rustic retreat” experience that allows our campers the time to develop the naturalistic intelligence and peace that comes from meaningful interactions with nature. We’ve found that although there is oft some initial resistance to missing an Instagram post or a Facebook needs feed in our unplugged camp community, these experiences give our campers the opportunity, permission, and staff support to relax. Camper and family end of summer feedback to having these experiences has been as positive as the reviews of our STEM program or excitement about our weekly trips. We look forward to continuing these types of programs in 2019 and beyond.

–Brian Lux

Brian is the owner/director of Camp Sequoia whose work with has been presented at the World Gifted Conference, the ACA tri-states conference and numerous regional venues for parent and educators. A 20-year veteran of camping, he is a licensed K-12 gifted educator dedicated to the meaningful growth of exceptional populations. Details about his program can be found at www.camp-sequoia.com or by phone at 610-771-0111.

7 Strategies and Tips from Camp Sequoia

Twice-exceptional youth, those with demonstrated above average abilities with a secondary diagnosis that can serve as a social speed bump to engaging with peers effectively, can benefit from intentional structural strategies for success.

Beyond functional print, countdown reminders to transitions, and anticipatory sets, there are many ways high-functioning individuals who are carry a secondary diagnosis can benefit from an intentionally structured environment. It is important to provide this structure in a way that is both developmentally and cognitively appropriate for the student. The below strategies and tips are useful in a camp setting to maximize potential for positive outcomes.

1)Plan intentional spaces. Campers succeed if they have spaces where they can blend social growth with time for reflection. Age specific lounge spaces for campers in climate-controlled environments are wonderful counterpoints to having roommate interactions. Spaces that work regardless of weather are a huge asset to this population. An indoor pool, for example, means that there will not be a unexpected schedule interruption due to inclement weather. Similar principals work in a home and school environment.

2)Offer limited, but meaningful choices. Developmentally, having too many choices can be an overwhelming situation, but having no choices can feel disempowering. An appropriate compromise involves giving children a limited, but desirable palette of options (with plenty of notice) for them to have input into their day. Obviously, there is a sliding scale both in terms of autonomy and flexibility of choices based upon camper age.

3)Recognize and celebrate strengths. Working with the twice-exceptional mind often means tapping into a variety of support structures in both education and the community. As a licensed educator, too often the default is to look at perceived deficits as potholes to be filled in rather than celebrating strengths and using those to build confidence and ability to steer around those potholes. Coming from a position of strength helps to build confidence and empower growth.

4)Craft teachable moments. Inquiry learning is both an art and a science. It should not be enough to have someone teach art to a twice-exceptional child. The teaching of art should be used as a tool to help build confidence, social understandings, and context specific successes.

5)Allow for minor failures. Minor adversity facilitates growth. Giving the twice-exceptional child the ability to become more confident by learning from minor failures can ultimately boost self-confidence. For example, attempting a new activity or art project that is difficult will help twice-exceptional youth learn to increase their frustration tolerance and coping skills while understanding that often the process can be as important as the product.

6)Plan intellectual growth. Getting buy in beyond 3-D printing, or conversations with the international space station, the twice-exceptional mind often has insights that can be fostered through scaffolded topical conversations. At Camp Sequoia it is not unusual to sit in on deep conversations between campers on big philosophical issues of the day with trained staff scaffolding the discourse as needed to ensure that all campers are benefitting from the experience.

7)Reflect with stakeholders. At the end of the intentional experience, it is key to reflect with stakeholders and discuss successes, failures, perceptions, and recommendations for further opportunities to be successful in the classroom and beyond during the academic year (both in school and community settings)

–Brian Lux

Brian is the director of Camp Sequoia whose work with this population has been presented at the World Gifted Conference multiple times. He is a licensed K-12 gifted educator and has spent the last several decades dedicated to the meaningful growth of exceptional populations. Details about his program can be found at www.camp-sequoia.com or by email at office@camp-sequoia.com