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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, European travel, caring for their son Conor, and
spending time with their pets Mojo and CC. |
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 Michael
"Gus" Gustafson first came to the valley in 2000. He served
as a Head Counselor his first year, then spent five years as the
Coordinator of Silver Spruce. In 2006, Michael became the in-camp
Program Director, spending his summer days supervising the staff
and overseeing everything from the Lodge to the Camp Store. Michael
attended Fort Lewis College in Durango and enjoyed studying English
literature there. He also brings a variety of camp knowledge from
other camps he attended and worked at in Iowa, Wyoming, and Colorado.
Michael spends his spare time reading and cheering on the Cleveland
Browns. |
 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 not only ranching and construction skills, but
culinary abilities as well. Eagle currently lives in the Red Creek
Valley with his wife, Gianna, and enjoys skiing and rock climbing.
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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 eight
years. Nancy was a camper during the first years of CSC history,
and later became a counselor. Cindy has worked on our staff in various
capacities, including as Expo Coordinator and Nanny. Both love to
work around children all year round: Nancy works as a Home Ec. teacher
in Phoenix while Cindy is a kindergarten teacher in Austin. Nancy
says, “The reason that I keep coming back to camp is the feeling
of one big family. Everyone works hard for a common goal - the campers.
It is hard to put into words what camp does for a person. When you
are at camp the mountain air is so clean, the stars are so bright,
and the people are so wonderful. That is why I come back to camp
every year.” |
 David
"Dave-O" Townes has spent many summers of his life in
the RedCreek Valley. Dave-O was a camper for several years and has
been on our staff since 2002 and served as our Outpost Coordinator
in 2005. He graduated from Georgetown in 2004 with degrees in Philosophy
and Government and is currently working towards his Master's in
Social Work at Columbia University. Dave-O relies on his life experiences
and creativity to add to his programming, which ranges from Sumo-Wrestling
to Chillin'. |
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 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, an afternoon
ride on his mountain scooter, skiing, and hiking trails around
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. 
Jack
MaGill joined the CSC family in 2005 and currently serves as
the out-camp Program Director. He recently graduated from the
National Outdoor Leadership School and obtained a English literature
degree from Fort Lewis College. Jack’s many years of experience
at an East Coast camp have provided him with a plethora of knowledge
to constantly expand and improve on CSC’s program. He enjoys
spending time with his dog, Strider, and working on his bluegrass
pickin’.
Peggy
Vorwald grew up in and around Colvig Silver Camps. Her parents
were on the Administrative Staff when she was younger and Peggy
spent five years as a camper before returning as an Assistant
Counselor in 2003. She has since been a Head Counselor and Homestead
Coordinator. Peggy’s love for CSC, and Homestead in particular
shines through in all that she does--special attention to campers,
creative programming like “Counselor Deal or No Deal”,
and a fantastic 2006 Olympics Special Day. Peggy spends the rest
of her year doing biology research and instructing classes at
Fort Lewis College.
Patrick
Fleming has worked at CSC since 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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