Camp Dates

May is a busy, exciting month here at camp.  In a week or so, the tents will go up along the Big Spring ridges, after, of course, the annual ritual of repainting them.  (Some staff members will still have green clothing and hands by the time camp opens)  All the Big Spring buildings will be opened up, cleaned, and prepared for summer. Part of STUW Ridge will have new tent frames this year, similar to those built on HKL and MOPQ Ridges during the past two years.

At High Trails, the cabins and Lodge are already open, but everything will be cleaned and given a fresh coat of paint. In addition we will put up tennis nets, order crafts supplies, organize the backpack tents, and put the final touches on all of our facilities and programs.  The new Health Center is on track to be completed by early June and we are excited to inaugurate this outstanding new facility.

Maren, WillO, Jenny, and Rosie will bring in the horses from the pastures at Fish Creek and get them fixed up with new shoes for all the great rides this summer.  There are plenty of things to keep us busy, and everyone is excited about these projects because they mean that a new season of camp is almost here!

The Aspen are showing catkins now and we’ll begin to see the first leaves later in the month; the bluebirds and robins are back, and a herd of deer has been moving hanging around Big Spring and High Trails.  The Pasque Flowers have already bloomed and it won’t be long before we begin to see Indian Paintbrush and the spectacular wild Iris in the field in front of the Witcher house.  The first hummingbird has been sighted and a couple of porcupines have been seen lumbering along the road at night.

Late this month, we will begin staff training for our ridge leaders and trip leaders.  During the weekend after Memorial Day (not a holiday here) we will do a leadership training with our Ridge Leaders and Wranglers.  On Monday and Tuesday, any members of our leadership staff who do not have current certification in Wilderness First Aid will take that class taught by instructors from the Wilderness Medicine Institute.  On Wednesday, we’ll be providing more first aid instruction and a full day of driver training. On Thursday, June 6, our entire staff will arrive for a 10-day training period before the first campers arrive.  And on June 16, first term campers arrive and we’ll be off…

We are still accepting enrollments in some age groups in the Second Term at Big Spring so let us know if you are interested in receiving our brochure and DVD.  Summer—2013 promises to be a fantastic experience for everyone!

If you are anything like us, you think somewhat seasonally.  And, like many people, you are just now beginning to think about your upcoming summer and early fall plans.

If those plans do not currently include the Sanborn 65th Mega Reunion at camp from August 22nd-25th…then you just might miss out on the MOST fun this side (and the other side, frankly) of the Continental Divide.

Beyond the incredible activities, adventure, camaradie and fun, there will be like-minded Sanborners from all over the country (and world) in attendance at this year’s reunion.  Use this as an opportunity to reconnect with new and old friends,  network, build on shared memories and create new ones with your children, former staff members, former campers, friends and mentors.

Here is the list of current attendees.  If you see someone who isn’t on the list that should be, or if you would like us to apply gentle, but fairly pointed pressure on anyone in particular (“You’re getting married that weekend?  Well, we guess that is fine as long as you make it to Vespers on Sunday morning….”) –do not hesitate to email jane@sanbornwesterncamps.com.

See you in August!

REUNION ATTENDEES

WHO IS COMING TO THE ALUM REUNION?

Nick Alton                                                      BS Staff 2007

Jamie Bailey                                                    HT 82-84; Staff 86

BreAnn Behlen                                               HT Staff 02-05

Margie Pringle Brown                                     HT 70-74

Lauraleigh Davis Burke                                  HT 66-68

Cathy Gepson Burnham                                 HT 84-86; Staff 88-91

Emily, Sarah, and Abby Burnham                  Current

Jon Carlson                                                     BS Staff 61-63

Pat Decoursey Cercos                                     HT 63-64; 66-67

Julie Micou Cerf                                             HT 72-75; Staff 76, 78

William Comley                                              BS 66-67; 69

Amy Sawyer Daniher                                     HT 84-85; Staff 86, 88

Erika Davidoff                                                HT 05-11

Daria Davidoff                                               HT 07

Betsy Swango DeLurgio                                HT 78-79, 81

Emily Myrick Densmore                                 HT 82-87; Staff 91

Shelley Desloge                                              HT 78-79

Sheri Bone Fedorchak                                                HT Staff 80-82; TNP 07

Mia Fisher                                                       HT 69-73

Andy Fletcher                                                 BS 68-70

Rob and Connie McWilliams Friesen             BS 62; Staff 65-68    HT Staff 66-68

Annie Garretson                                              HT 65-71; Staff 72-83

Sarah Stahl Garrigan                                       HT 79-80

Grace Stimson                                                 HT 10-13

Pete Glasser                                                    SWC 71, 74-87

Catherine Stahl Glenning                                HT 79-80

Meredith Glenning                                          HT 10-12

Mary “Spice” Garlich Grannell                       HT Staff 63-67, 69

Harriet Hargrave                                             HT Staff 89-90, 93, 05

Jeffrey Hargrave                                             BS  Staff 89-90

Rodney and Laura Hite Hargrave                  BS Staff 88-89  HT Staff 91-93

Kim Bean Higgins                                          HT 70; Staff 77-79

Matthew Huffman                                          BS 85; Staff BS 89-93

Lisa Prentice Hughes                                      HT 78-85; Staff 87

Jack Kramer                                                    BS Staff 68-72

Flori Lambart                                                  HT 62-68

John Leavitt                                                    BS Staff 06-09

Alex Levine                                                    BS 84-85; Staff 92-93

Maggie Proffitt Link                                       HT 91, 93, 96; Staff 98-99, 01

Amy Davis Lunne                                           HT 72-77; Staff 79-80

Libby Malone                                                  HT Staff 83-87

Schehera Randle McKasson                           HT 89-94; 96-01

Dori Knowles Morgan                                    HT 64-69

Susan Uptegrove Myrick                                HT Staff 64-65

Renee Desloge Nelson                                    HT 78-83

Bob Perlmutter                                                BS 66-69

Elliott Perlmutter                                            BS 01-02, 04

David Peters                                                   BS Staff 92-95

Mary “Bunny” Porter                                      HT 71-73; Staff 78-79

Phil Pringle                                                      BS 64-69; Staff 70

Erin Proctor                                                     HT 89-93

Roger Proffitt                                                 BS 61-65; Staff 68, 71

Kay Seessel Rawlings                                     HT 80-83; Staff 88

Bea Raemdonck                                              HT 01-05; Staff 08-12

Wilson Rawlings                                             BS 07-13

Julie Richardson                                              HT  62-63; Staff 64-70 and 2000-12

Jeff Roberts                                                    BS 89-90; Staff 97-02

Jim “Herc” Roth                                             BS 63-67; Staff 68-71

Barbara Rowley                                              HT 74-77; Staff 78-81; SWC Staff  86-90

Anna Middleton                                             HT 08-12

Kate Middleton                                              HT 10-13

Don Sable                                                       BS 62-65

Rick Sanborn                                                  Long time

Lisa Schneck                                                   HT 72-75; Staff 78

John Shelton                                                   BS 62-68

Mark Shelton                                                  BS 58-61

Nancy Shiffler                                                            HT 62-65; Staff 68-76

Megan Shellman Rickard                                HT 85-9; Staff 99

Toby Slezak                                                    BS 84-85

Sally Riekhof Smith                                        HT Staff 89, 91

Delta Stokes                                                    HT 87-91

Katie Binter Swyers                                        HT 94-95; Staff 98, 02-03

Rebecca Todd                                                 HT 80-83; Staff 85

Betsy Tucker                                                   HT 63-65; Staff 68-73

Eric Weidmann                                               BS 63-64; Staff 66-70

Rein and Jan Sanborn Van West                    Long time

Alissa Gutin West                                           HT 77

Walker Crowley                                              BS 06-13

Big Al and Terry Goodger Williams               BS Staff 75-77;  HT Staff 74-77

Frank Williams                                                BS 81-86; Staff 87-92, 95, 97

Keith Williams                                                BS 64-67, 69; Staff 70-77

Lindsay Williams                                            HT 92-95

Krista Wright                                                  HT Staff 91-99

More to come…..

(and of course, Jerry, Jane, Mike Mac, Rob, Carlotta, Ariella, Elizabeth, Maren, Chris, Rosie, and all of the year-round staff)

A few of our summer birds, including bluebirds and robins, have returned to the Ranch so we know Spring is on the way.  Our March snows have melted away at this time, so it should be easy for us to spot the first Pasque Flower of the year.  Temperatures have warmed up and the nice weather really inspires us to work hard on our many pre-summer projects.  The summer staff will begin arriving in less than two months.

Speaking of staff, we have some great people returning for 2013!  At Big Spring,  returning wranglers include Will Ostendorf, Charles Nunziato, and Bryan Belsey.  Ridge Leaders will be Mike Piel, Kyle Kotzman, Byron Pringle, Trent Reed and John Jackson.  Michelle Christiance will return as the Arts and Crafts Director.  Other returning staff include Ryan Murphy, Ian McDavid, James Nicoll, Jake Gulliver, Adam Saucedo, Andrew Morton, Kevin Dlugos, Jeremy Mabe, Joe Sisk, Jack Ostrand, and Peter Hoeller.  Marissa Beauchane and Holly Lehmann will both be back as nurses.

At High Trails, Janie Cole, Sara Everhart, Kristy Burt, Kelly Muedeking and Angela Scruggs will be returning as Ridge Leaders.  Mary Gigliotti will be the Outcamp Coordinator; and Jamie Olivette, Emily Katz, Taylor Indrebo, Jenny Hartman, Clara Troyer and Amanda Nooter will be wranglers.  Hannah Flink, Maggie Kittner, Hannah Weisbecker, Tully Sandbom, Valerie Peterson, Sean Sudekum, and Sarah Merfeld will return as counselors.  We also have a great group of former campers returning as staff members, and some wonderful new staff who will join us for the first time.

We have begun our Spring outdoor education program and are excited to provide experiential, nature-based classes for 4th and 5th graders from 24 schools over the next six weeks.

Our April will be filled with putting the finishing touches on improved programs and trips for this summer, renovation projects to improve our facilities, hiring the last few summer staff and counting the days until camp begins.  The new Health Center at High Trails is looking good—it has walls and a roof now and is well on the way to being completed before camp begins.  New mattresses just arrived for Big Spring and guys on upper STUW Ridge will appreciate their new tent frames.  Gaga Pits are being built for both camps and many other facility improvement projects are underway.

Our 2013 community is really coming together, and most grades in both terms of High Trails are filled.  Big Spring still has openings in most grades, but some of these are close to filling.  Most Sanborn Junior terms in both camps have only a few openings left.  Families interested for the summer of 2013 should call to check availability.  As always, we are happy to send our brochure, DVD and references to any interested families.

We can’t wait to begin creating the fun, adventure, and friendship of the Summer of 2013!

Many of us have just returned from the American Camp Association National Conference in Dallas, and I want to share a little of what we learned.  The theme of the conference was “Camp:  Learning for Life” and we heard over and over again the same message:  The skills that children need in order to succeed in the 21^st century are not the cognitive skills that are measured by standardized tests in the classroom; they are character skills like enthusiasm, perseverance, empathy, optimism, and self-control.  These skills are the best predictors of happy, healthy adulthood.

We heard psychologist Madeline Levine, author of the 2012 best-selling book “Teach Your Children Well”, tell us that children do not gain self-esteem when adults tell them they are smart or talented; they gain self-esteem only from true accomplishment—from riding the horse or climbing the mountain, or successfully making friends in an environment away from home—an environment like camp.

We listened to Mawi Asgedom, who came to the United States as a refugee from Ethiopia, graduated at the top of his class at Harvard, and has dedicated his life to helping young people set and achieve their goals.  His message again stressed that our society has placed too much emphasis on grades and academic achievement, and that what young people need are social and emotional skills like networking, creativity, and ability to problem solve.

Paul Tough’s book, “How Children Succeed:  Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character”, has climbed to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list and his title says it all.  He spoke about his research and also about the power of adult mentors to help young people gain success—adult mentors like those found in camps.

And, finally, we heard from Dr. Gary Krahn, the Head of Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, about the importance of taking kids outdoors and getting them out of the classroom and into the natural world.

Of course, all of this was music to our ears, and we came away from the conference both affirmed in the critical education we are providing at Big Spring and High Trails, and inspired to do it better.  As most of you alums will realize from your time at camp, these are not new concepts at Sanborn.  In fact, building a place where children could learn the social and emotional skills critical for successful adulthood, was a foundational principle for Sandy and Laura.  And we are still doing it today.

All the research and evidence is pointing in one direction:  The camp experience plays a more vital role in each child’s educational journey today than ever before.  We are committed to helping children and young adults learn for life.

February can be a long month (despite the fact that it is the shortest month). December and January flew by with anticipation and enjoyment of the holiday season, but February seems to last a bit longer. Everyone is looking forward to something: Spring, better skiing (hopefully), warmer weather and much more. However, before we get to any of this, we have to make it through February.

Thankfully, the ACA National Conference in Dallas is next week, which will give all of us at camp the revitalization and inspiration to stride through February, and the rest of the winter with ease. At the conference, we will hear keynote speeches by Peg Smith and Madeline Levine, Mawi Asgedom, Dr. Lorena Gonzalez, Paul Tough and Gary Krahn. All of these speakers have different experiences, skills and messages to share with the rest of the camping world; we will be sure to bring back some great ideas!

The conference lasts for four days and will be filled with breakout sessions, exhibit halls,  luncheons, and other great activities. People from all over the country and the world will be at the conference, sharing ideas, passions and excitement for camping! During the conference, we will be updating our Facebook page, uploading pictures to our Instagram, and tweeting about our travels. Make sure that you check-in to see what everyone at camp is up to!
If you want to experience the conference for yourself, check out some of these books and other information about the keynote presenters…

Peg Smith has had close to thirty years of experience with children. She has worked with many organizations including, Head Start, the Governors Step Ahead Initiative, Indiana Youth Initiative and is currently the chief executive officer of the American Camp Association.

Madeline Levine is the author of four books, Viewing Violence, See No Evil: A Guide to Protecting our Children from Media Violence, The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids and Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success. Currently she is a practicing psychologist in California, constantly working on issue’s with adolescent development.

Mawi Asgedom is the author of the book, Of Beetles and Angels and The Third Harmony. Of Beetles and Angels is the story of Mawi’s incredible journey from a refugee camp in Sudan then to Chicago, and then to Harvard University. He has since started the Mawi Learning program through which he reaches out to educators and students with information on leadership and leadership training.

Dr. Lorena Gonzalez is the co-author of the book, Inheritance: Discovering the Richness of Latino Culture and Heritage. She has worked with many Hispanic and Latino communities in an effort to revitalize and sustain them through the organization, Urban Strategies. She also has worked with developing leadership programs for individuals, groups and communities through AVANCE.

Paul Tough is the author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character. This book is about giving less praise to test scores and the academic achievement of children, and putting more emphasis on non-cognitive skills and a child’s character in terms of success. Tough has spoken many times on this topic, as well as poverty and parenting.

Dr. Gary Krahn is the head of the Trinity Valley School, a K-12 school in Fort Worth, TX. He has extensively presented on his effort to successfully guide children into a world filled with unknowns, ever-changing technology, politics, and economy.

Check out all of these people, pick up their books and go to their websites! We are all looking forward to hearing what they have to say, and integrating their information into camp.

February 1, 2013

January brought us true Colorado winter weather this year.  Our days ranged in temperature from 20 below zero to 60 above.  We have had some snow, which we are grateful for, and the high mountains of Colorado have received quite a lot of snow.  A large herd of elk has been grazing by our front gate and we are seeing a lot of deer throughout the forests of camp.

Mike and Elizabeth have enjoyed seeing many of you as they traveled through the Midwest with our digital slide show program.  They have appreciated their warm receptions and enthusiasm for the coming summer.

February is a busy month as we prepare for the summer of 2013.  A major project throughout the winter is to hire the summer staff—counselors and wranglers, nurses and A.C.s.  We are always so proud of the outstanding college men and women who spend their summers contributing enthusiasm, fun, and nurturing leadership for the young people who attend Big Spring, High Trails, and Sanborn Junior.  We already have a great group of returning staff lined up and are making careful selections among new applicants now.

The National Convention of the American Camp Association will be held in Dallas in mid-February, and we will be participating in full force. Jane is the Chairperson for this year’s conference and has been working on an outstanding educational program for many months.  Chris, Mike, Elizabeth, and Ariella will be leading educational sessions at the conference. Mike, as Chairperson of the Rocky Mountain Region of the American Camp Association, will be participating in all of the leadership events held at the conference.
Carlotta, Ian, Kelly, Rob, WillO, and David will also be attending the conference. This type of training helps us to stay on top of evolving issues and inspires us to continue to improve our program each summer.

We have exciting facility news!  Next week we will begin work on a brand new Health Center at High Trails.  The new Health Center will be exactly where the old Health Center has been.  It will be up and running by the time camp starts this summer!  We will be following its progress on our Facebook page, if you would like to check it out!

Maren, Rosie and Jenny are hard at work preparing the riding program for next summer and making sure the horses are all ready for their busy season.  It won’t be long before we start having new calves at the Witcher Ranch.

We are all excited about the community that is coming together for the summer of 2013 and can’t wait to begin the fun. We are happy to mail our brochure and DVD to anyone interested in camp and to provide references for new families.