CAMP IS ON!
Summer 2022, here we come! We can’t wait!
We made it through 2021 with tons of fun and without a single case of COVID-19 on our campuses! Now we are looking forward to more healthy and fun sessions in 2022. We are thrilled and ready for in-person & screen-free adventures, the blossoming of friendships, the challenge and excitement of the mountains, and the joy of community.
Here’s a simple summary of the plan for 2022 :
- Our key to camp this year is testing! Campers MUST arrive on opening day with a negative viral COVID test taken within the last 3-5 days. This can be easily uploaded on your Campminder App! We will provide each camper an additional round of testing on opening day and on the 3rd day of camp.
- We will decrease exposure for our community by keeping an “imperfect bubble.” This will include asking parents to stay in their vehicles on opening and closing day, limiting visitors, and not hosting our traditional Parent’s Day at the end of each major session.
- Other than that, it is business as usual! We are not planning to mask nor socially distance under normal circumstances and we do not require vaccination for our campers. Let’s get outside and have some fun!
Please read on below for more details and a fuller plan!
As opening day approaches, the information, guidance, and regulations, around COVID-19 are still occasionally changing. We are staying up to date, working hard to be ready, and posting updates here.
The details below may change.
STARTING OUT ON THE RIGHT FOOT:
Camp has so many advantages for a fun and safe summer. Here are just a few!
- This isn’t our first rodeo: our camps have been providing awesome experiences for nearly 60 years and we are well accustomed to mitigating illness and maximizing safety and health for our campers.
- We have a wonderfully positive, mature, and enthusiastic staff!
- As we do every summer, we have qualified medical professionals at camp and our doctors are on call. This year we are increasing our medical staff present on site at camp to better provide for the needs of our camp community.
- We have been working closely to develop guidelines for a fun and safe summer with our local health department, the CDC, North Carolina Youth Camping Association, and the American Camping Association.
- Our activities and programming take place outdoors, with sunshine and open air.
- Our cabins, dining halls and many other facilities are open air, with screened windows maximizing airflow.
- Our camps sit on over two hundred acres and are bordered on three sides by over half a million acres of Pisgah National Forest. This gives us so much space to stretch out and to play!
GOOD HEALTH STARTS AT HOME — PRE-CAMP:
We need your help and to work together to get off to a good start!
- Carefully consider your camper’s and your family’s risk and make sure camp is a good place for you in 2022. While we strive our utmost for safety, we cannot guarantee a completely COVID-19 free environment. Here is a document from the CDC to help!
- Campers must arrive at camp able to show a negative viral COVID test within the last 3-5 days.
- Please strive to minimize exposure and stay healthy from the time of the test until arrival at camp.
WELCOME TO CAMP! — OPENING DAY:
Starting off right is so critical for our summer! We appreciate everyone’s help in making this happen!
- Plan to arrive with your camper’s negative test and remain in the car while you pull through our receiving area to drop-off your camper. Please give hugs before arrival! We can’t wait to welcome your camper!
- Camper arrival and departure times are staggered by age-group:
- Rising 2nd to rising 8th graders should arrive between 9-11am
- Rising 9th to rising 12th graders should arrive between 11am-1pm.
- Please let us know if the time doesn’t work for you because of flight times or driving distances — we will remain flexible!
- If you have multiple campers of different age groups, please arrive in the time slot of your oldest campers if possible. Thank you!
- We plan for campers to be given an additional rapid test and health check upon arrival.
- Let the fun begin!
ADVENTURE STARTS HERE — THE DAY TO DAY AT CAMP:
- Our activities will all be fired up and running! We will continue taking trips to remote locations and, outside of set cabin times, campers will have the ability to choose activities and interact freely.
- We are not planning to mask nor socially distance under normal circumstances.
PREPARED FOR ANYTHING — IN THE EVENT OF A COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS:
- We strive to work as a team with our parents and communication is key to that! If a camper is diagnosed with COVID-19 we will notify the child’s parents as soon as possible. If other campers are exposed, they will be tested at the recommendation of our medical staff or health department.
- If a camper receives a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, the best course of action will be decided with the parents and the camp directors. They may be able to rejoin our camp community after a period of quarantine. If going home is recommended by our health department or camp medical staff, parents must be able to pick-up their camper within 12 to 24 hours.
- In the event that we ask a camper to leave early due to COVID-19, we will provide options of a prorated tuition refund or the rollover of that prorated tuition to a future summer with early-early-bird status.
- While camp will take precautions to create a safer environment, we cannot guarantee a COVID-free summer. If you do not feel comfortable with the increased risk inherent in summer camp attendance, we completely understand and hope your camper will be able to join us in a future season.
