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Administrative
Staff |
 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. |
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 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. |
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Some
of our Summer Staff: |
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 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.
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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.
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. 
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.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.
COLVIG SILVER CAMPS
9665 Florida Road
Durango,
Colorado 81301(970) 247-2564
Fax:
(970) 247-2547 E-mail:
office@colvigsilvercamps.comwww.colvigsilvercamps.com
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