Administrative Staff
Clay Colvig has directed Colvig Silver Camps since 1998. He grew up at CSC as a camper, and later as a Counselor and Administrator. Free time was spent studying at Colorado College and the University of Colorado and traveling in Europe. After a few enjoyable years in the architecture industry, he and Tavia chose to return to Durango to lead the family vision into the next millenium. When not in the office, Clay enjoys time with his family, lego time with son Conor, and riding, skiing, and hiking the trails of CSC.

Tavia Colvig is the Financial Director and Food Service Manager at CSC. She graduated from Colorado College and then earned her law degree from the University of Colorado. She practiced law in Boulder before moving to Durango in 1998 to live the dream. Tavia enjoys films, culinary arts, traveling, playing with son Conor, and taking care of the family pets and camp animals.

Alexis Harrell came to CSC in the fall of 2007. After spending many years in the “Camping World” she thought she could bring a spirit of southern hospitality to the Office Manager position. Alexis came to us from North Carolina and graduated from Appalachian State University in 2005 with a degree in Elementary Education. Before arriving at CSC Alexis spent most of her free time teaching fifth grade, volunteering in Africa, and learning the art of southern BBQ.

Evan Suiter joined the CSC staff in the summer of 2007. He spent his first year as a head counselor and then became the Silver Spruce Coordinator in 2008. He recently graduated from Fort Lewis College in Durango with a degree in Music Education and is now a Program Director at CSC. Evan brings knowledge from many years of experience both working with children and exploring the wilderness. He also enjoys working as a professional musician, recording and performing regularly throughout the off-season.
Aaron “Eagle” Deutsch first came to CSC in 1999, working as an Assistant and Head Counselor. Through the years, he has served as a Coordinator and Expedition Supervisor, and returned in 2006 to be the Site Manager. Eagle brings a variety of talents to his position, including ranching, construction skills, and culinary abilities. Eagle currently lives in the Red Creek Valley with his wife Gianna and son Ottis and enjoys skiing and rock climbing.
Tyler Dixon joined the CSC family in the summer of 2008 working as a Head Counselor in both Outpost and Spruce, and then returned the summer of 2009 as Pathfinding Coordinator. He is currently serving as Program Director at CSC. He has recently graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Business Administration. Tyler brings with him both experience and knowledge in working with children in wilderness settings. In his spare time Tyler enjoys spending time in the beautiful mountains of Colorado, or just relaxing and listening to some good tunes.

Some of our Summer Staff:

Holli Hipwell first arrived to the Red Creek Valley as a Homestead camper during the summer of 2001. She has spent almost every summer since then at CSC. Last summer was her first as a staff member, filling her role as the very talented & energetic camp photographer. We are looking forward to having Holli join us this summer as an assistant counselor and we can almost guarantee she will be here every summer here on out. When Holli is not covered from head to toe in paint (from a Homestead free-choice), she can be found living the life as a student at Fort Lewis College.

 

Patrick Fleming's first summer at CSC was 2005 as an Outpost Counselor and Coordinator. Pat graduated with a geology degree from the University of Puget Sound in Washington state in 2005 and brings his knowledge of natural sciences to CSC each summer. Pat’s attitude and enthusiasm make him a favorite of campers and staff alike. He currently works for Patagonia in Reno, NV, where he also finds time to row, ski, hike, and climb mountains.

Nancy Hushek and Cindy Murphy have been our Chef team for the last 9 years. Nancy, a camper during the first year of camp, has been with us since 1991 as a Chef and Cindy since 1999. They are both teachers and mothers during the rest of the year, and have daughters that have come to camp for years. CSC wouldn’t be the same without these two ladies, who keep all of the campers happy, healthy, and full throughout the summer! We often call Billy (Slagathor) McCall, “the man with many hats”, as he has worked in Expediton, Silver Spruce, Homestead, and as a Sous Chef in our kitchen. Billy can literally do anything you can imagine, and if he finds that he can’t do it, he puts on a new hat, adds a twist, and somehow tricks everyone into thinking he has mastered the new art. When Billy is not in the RCV, he can be found in Vail, Colorado riding the slopes and probably wearing some of the costumes he created over the past couple of summers.
 

STAFF FAQ'S

Where Do You Find Your Staff?
Typically, our staff finds us! We advertise on many job- and summer camp-related websites and we are listed in publications such as Peterson's Guide to summer employment, the American Camping Association's guide to summer jobs, and several others.
Approximately 50-60% of our staff each summer are returning staff members and/or former CSC campers. This high return rate adds stability and continuity to our diverse summer program.

Who Are Your Staff?
Most of our summer staff are college students between the ages of 21 and 25. We hire a handful of 18-20 year olds as assistant counselors as well. Staff members come from diverse backgrounds and have a wide variety of previous experience, but all have a passion for working with children in an outdoor setting. Many counselors are teachers or teachers in training. Many are majoring in areas such as education, outdoor/experiential education, recreation, psychology, social work and other related fields. We also look for wilderness experience and experience with outdoor programs (such as other summer camps, NOLS or Outward Bound, adventure programs, ropes courses, etc.). We hire a handful of "specialists" to oversee specific program areas, including two wranglers to run the horse program, an arts and crafts director, and a rock climbing supervisor.

What's "special" about them?
As compared to other camps, we ask our counseling staff to do most of the in-camp program
planning. At the beginning of each term, counselors are given an open schedule. Working as a team, each age group's staff fills in the blanks by planning a wide range of exciting activities for their campers. This method of program planning gives staff a high degree of freedom and flexibility to plan activities which most appeal to them and their campers. In this manner, they are able to creatively plan activities which fully utilize their personal strengths and areas of interest and/or expertise. This helps to make each term a little different and to provide a unique experience for each and every camper.

Obviously, we rely heavily on "traditional" summer camp activities such as western riding, arts & crafts, target sports, swimming, fishing, hiking, etc., but counselors are free to plan new and creative activities to add breadth and depth to our diverse program. Many of these planning choices are based on specific camper interests. Coupled with our "choice-oriented" philosophy, this gives campers an opportunity to "customize" their stay with us to a fair degree, as opposed to being told specifically what they will be doing with us every minute of every day.

How Are They Screened?
All prospective summer staff initially submit an application to our office. Our screening process includes reference checks (both written and over the phone), an interview, a driving record check, a criminal record check (in most cases) and a physical examination. Applicants are evaluated in areas such as responsibility, maturity, professionalism, decision-making skills, creativity and enthusiasm. We also look for experience, formal and informal, in the fields of child care, wilderness, and outdoor education. The end product is a highly motivated and enthusiastic summer staff!

What about Training?
All summer staff, both new and return, must participate in pre-camp staff training, which lasts for ten days. During this time we train staff members in all areas of camp operation, beginning with philosophy, mission, procedures and policies. This training also covers areas such as specifics of camp operation, program planning, emergency procedures and discipline issues, to name a few. The second half of staff training focuses specifically on our wilderness program, stressing areas such as decision making, safety, emergency procedures, and wilderness first aid, among many others.

 

 
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COLVIG SILVER CAMPS

9665 Florida Road Durango, Colorado 81301
(970) 247-2564 Fax: (970) 247-2547 E-mail: office@colvigsilvercamps.com
www.colvigsilvercamps.com

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