EDIT: We would like to clarify that the staff policy that was announced in our last update only applies to campers graduating high school in 2021. Campers who are a part of the class of 2022 and beyond are still required to take a gap year the summer after graduating from high school, so the earliest that a C’22 high school graduate could apply to staff is for the summer of 2023.
Dear SJC Community,
We hope this note finds you and your families well and safe. We want to bring you up to speed regarding plans for SJC 2021 this AUG 8 – 14.
We have talked with Suzanne Bates the Director of Camp Westminster, and Drs. Sue Ann Park, Jin Park and Daniel Shin (an infectious disease specialist and Dad of Owen and Noah, SJC alums). We’ve also looked over the American Camping Association’s (ACA) recommendations, which are still evolving. And we have discussed things with Jami Chung, our program Director. Hopefully we will have Jami back in this role for a 4th year this time around.
Here are the major provisions we propose concerning SJC 2021:
Changing circumstances
The following is based on our best knowledge given the current situation. Hopefully things will improve as the weather gets warmer and more people get vaccinated.
State of Michigan Dept. of Health and ACA guidelines
Specific health rules and protocols will conform with the State of Michigan Dept. of Health and ACA guidelines. Camp Westminster operates under these rules and we will too.
Pods
Camp will consist of “pods” that will eat, sleep, play, work, attend activities together and as much as possible remain socially distant and separate from each other from the start of camp til the end.Pods will be roughly 8 – 12 people including counselors.
We have access to the following quarters for the pods
- 6 cabins
- the Kiva
- 2 yurts
- 2 tents in Wildwood
- 4 rooms in Worthington
- new cabin near Far East greenie
Smaller 2021 camp size
… so we have plenty of options and space. That said, we’d like to keep total number of staff and campers to about 55 – 60 (half of camp capacity), FYI, in recent years our largest enrollment has been about 73 campers and 20 staff. So depending on pod sizes we’d have roughly 8 – 10 pods total. (We hope that we’ll have enough campers and conditions improve so we can have over 60 people on campus, but we’ll have to see.)
Facilities restrictions
Pods will eat at separate tables on the camp green (where we have our Korean BBQ feast). Large canopy tents on the green and the back porch of the dining hall will be used in case of rain. Bathroom and shower facilities will be shared by pods, but we’ll stagger the times to keep pods separate.
Minimum age for 2021
Because counselors will be with their campers 24/7 throughout the week we will have a minimum age for campers this SJC of 10 years old or going into 4th grade.
Cancelled events for this year
Unfortunately, this summer we will not have
- Visitor’s Day or the family Korean BBQ
- Social dance
- Large, loud group singing outdoors or inside to keep possibility of droplets spreading down
- Group photo
COVID-19 vaccinations not required of campers and staff
Since the COVID-19 vaccine will likely not be available for children by this AUG and because it may be difficult to get, we will not require staff or campers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to coming to camp. However, we will require Staff and campers to provide a negative COVID-19 test result by email or text no more than 72 hours prior to arrival at camp. We understand that home COVID-19 tests will be widely available for $25-$35 soon and results are available in less than an hour. We will also require that staff and campers isolate as much as possible 7 days before camp and associate as much as possible only with their immediate family.
Enhanced safety and hygiene protocols
At camp we will take temps, oxygen sat reading, ask about health history in the past 7 – 10 days for all campers and staff. This will be done at check in. We will likely repeat this later during camp. We will also require masks, social distancing outside the pod, and hand washing. We will include these rules in the Camper Code of Conduct which is to be signed by all campers and their parents while registering for camp.
Enhanced program and activity rotation
As much as possible activities will be planned so pods are kept separate, teachers will circulate pods for morning classes, and afternoon electives will be the same for the entire pod. Evening programs will likewise have pods circulate from station to station, but will not compete/play in real time with each other.
Enhanced supervision
We’re planning on having 2 -3 counselors per pod so we can keep the campers properly supervised at all times, and allow counselors to run errands and do what they need to away from their campers.
Mandatory vaccinations
Regular (non-COVID-19) vaccinations (which we required in 2019) will be required this year, completed and documented at least 30 days before camp. NO exceptions. Also this year we will also require meningitis vaccinations for campers 16 + and staff too. Required NON COVID-19 vaccinations include the following:
For campers younger than 11 years old:
- Tdap a combination vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough)
- MMR (Mumps, measles, rubella)
- IPV (Polio) b)
For campers 11 years old and older
- Tdap a combination vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough)
- Bexsero or Trumenba to prevent meningitis caused by meningococcal serogroup B (age 16 yrs and older)
- Menactra to prevent infection caused by meningococcal bacteria serogroups A/C/W/Y (given at age 12 and 16yr)
Additionally: we require all SJC staff under age 26 to have:
- Tdap a combination vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough)
- Bexsero or Trumemba to prevent meningitis caused by meningococcal serogroup B
- Menactra to prevent infection caused by meningococcal bacteria serogroups A/C/W/Y
Rapid COVID-19 tests available
We will keep rapid COVID-19 tests at camp, have an isolation room to keep positive and/or symptomatic campers until parents pick them up, and have a protocol for positive campers and staff.
COVID-19 waiver
All parents of campers and staff will have to sign a waiver holding Camp Westminster Staff, SJC and it’s staff harmless and free from liability stemming from any illness, etc. caused by COVID-19 caught at camp.
Travel reservations recommendation
We suggest that people make their plane reservations if possible on SouthWest so they can cancel their plane reservations if needed, and get credit instead of losing their $.
Registration fees TBD
Fees are TBD as are many details as I’m sure that parents and campers will have questions that we have not considered. We’re also sure that we will have to improvise and be creative to make this work. However, we will keep the health and safety of the campers and staff our first priority (as always),
Gap year campers invited
Campers graduating highschool in 2021 are welcome to return for SJC 2021 as a camper.
Campers who are a part of the class of 2022 and beyond are still required to take a gap year the summer after graduating from high school, so the earliest that a C’22 high school graduate could apply to staff is for the summer of 2023.
Financial aid available
We have some financial aid available to campers and their families. Please contact us @ info@ SaeJongCamp.org to find out more. As always, all correspondence and communications will be kept confidential.
Parent survey
We would appreciate your input on the above proposal for SJC 2021. Please consider taking 5 minutes to answer our survey before March 8:
[su_button url=”https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YNKW9DX” target=”blank” style=”flat” size=”8″ radius=”5″ icon=”icon: arrow-right”]Give us your feedback for SJC 2021[/su_button]
Thanks,
The Sae Jong Camp Team
Contact us for any questions