“This pandemic has made community experiences more valuable than ever and that is what camp provides. These campers and counselors will always remember the moments of light, togetherness and joy they experienced at camp during what otherwise has been a time of uncertainty and loss. We all feel incredibly fortunate to have been together during this summer.”
Jake Labovitz, Owner/Director
There will never be another summer quite like 2020.
While most overnight summer camps across America closed their doors, Windsor Mountain was one of only a few overnight camps in New Hampshire that operated in summer 2020. Thanks to the enormous effort of our staff, extensive planning, precautions, protocols, testing, and sanitizing, we successfully navigated a very challenging situation to provide a safe, fun and powerful experience for our campers.
With the invaluable guidance from our Medical Director, Catherina Armstrong, a Boston-based Infectious Disease doctor, Windsor Mountain exceeded the health and safety rules set out by the State of New Hampshire. We utilized a combination of strict pre-camp quarantining procedures, extensive testing, cohort bubbles, and other safety protocols to ensure that we could welcome campers and staff safely.
Windsor Mountain staff and campers often refers to camp as “the Bubble,” safely tucked away from the outside world. We took that to the extreme in 2020. Once staff and campers arrived to camp, they entered “the Bubble” and did not leave our lovely oasis away from the pandemic outside of our Bubble.
Strict testing protocols were the key to operating this past summer. Staff members were tested prior to arrival and quarantined upon arrival. They underwent an additional two PCR tests prior to campers arriving and remained at camp from early June until mid-August when camp closed for the season. We are truly indebted to the effort and sacrifices of our staff members. “It was one of the most challenging summers that we have ever had, but ultimately one of the most rewarding,” said Curtis Hines, assistant director. “We all understood how special it was to be together during a pandemic and have a safe, healthy, and positive community.”
Campers quarantined prior to camp and submitted the results of a negative COVID test. Upon arrival, they were tested again with a PCR-based test and remained in their small bunk cohorts, socially-distanced from other bunks until the arrival tests confirmed that everyone was negative. At that point, each living unit joined together to create a cohort of approximately 50 campers and staff.
To maintain safety, Windsor Mountain’s programming was reimagined. Campers were able to have free-choice within their cohort, and activities occurred either outside or under tents. Meal service was reinvented, as we served food in three separate outdoor eating areas. We enhanced our sanitation procedures, adding hand sanitizer stations in each bunk and to each activity area, and staff members sanitized all equipment after use by each cohort. Also, campers and staff members were medically screened daily with temperature and wellness checks. The success of our summer is a testament to the efforts of our staff, families and campers.
As we turn our eyes towards summer 2021, there is cause for optimism. The vaccine news has been incredibly positive, and the accuracy, availability and variety of testing continues to improve. While there still is uncertainty surrounding Covid as winter approaches, we are confident that if we were able to overcome the challenges in summer 2020, we’re set to thrive in 2021. Because of our success in Summer 2020, Jake has been asked to join a committee to work with the State of New Hampshire to develop guidelines for camps for next summer, so we’ll keep our families updated on things as they progress.