Our New Normal, Volume XVI

What better place to begin the 16th installment of the Our New Normal series than the Summer Quest office in Luck Hall?
Last year, as you might recall, there were no camps, no on-site enrichment activities, no pitter-patter of feet, and not a whole lot of excitement.

Instead, Collegiate’s always well-subscribed summer program was limited to virtual Upper School classes. Rather than hosting the 3,500 attendees as was the case in 2019, Summer Quest experienced a dip to the neighborhood of 200, all of whom (and their instructors) spent the better part of their days doing what they’d done since late March: sitting before their computers, making the best of a challenging situation, and pining for the opportunity to return to pre-pandemic times.

So what’s our new normal this summer? I asked Jake McDonald, the associate director of Summer Quest. 

“Our new normal is in full swing,” he replied. “We’re ahead of the record we set two years ago. People are adapting and overcoming in a really impressive way. They’re showing up and doing what they’re supposed to do. They’re abiding by the protocols: masks inside, masks off outside in activity. That allows us to maximize our camp opportunities.”

What are we doing to keep everyone safe? I inquired.

“The most important thing is that we’re up to date with the standards set by the Virginia Department of Health and the CDC,” Jake said. “Jana Barnes and Kathryn Heidt (Collegiate’s nurses) have been awesome in equipping us with the rules of the game. It’s our job to enforce them, model them, and execute them.”

The excitement and energy are apparent, I observed. 

“That’s our Young Cubs camp for three- and four-year-olds,” he said, pointing to a group moving down the hallway outside the office. “It’s giving them an opportunity to have a school-like experience. We’re day-two into the experience, and the feedback we’ve gotten from parents has been overwhelmingly positive. About 50 percent of our campers (in all programs) are coming from a virtual experience. For them, it’s so valuable to bond with their peers and have fun but also learn and engage. The bulk of our camps are enrichment, so kids are getting invaluable tools socially and academically every day.”

Any other major changes?

“The way we have it structured is that we have morning camps, afternoon camps, combo camps, and all-day camps,” Jake said. “You can still pick a morning or afternoon camp. If you pick two, it has to be a combo camp. For example, if you’re doing flag football in the morning, you go to soccer in the afternoon. We’ve had to prescribe an all-day activity of two camps. That middle spot, the counselors are connecting with the kids and eating outside. Now, we have to pod all the kids. If someone happens to get sick, our system is equipped to lose just one camp instead of 30. That’s a structural change we’ve put into place. We’re adapting as well.”

What lessons have you taken from the past 12 months and applied to Summer Quest?

“Maximizing outside space is a gift we’ve brought with us from the school year,” he said. “And all camps begin and end at the exact same time. That’s a shift, but I do think the consistency benefits our teachers. When our teachers benefit, the quality goes up.” 

So two weeks into an 11-week program, we’re rolling along nicely?

“Honestly, this feels like the summer of 2019, where the quantity and the quality are both at an all-time high,” he said. “Other than podding the kids and masks, the new normal is about as close to pre-Covid as we can be.”

About that time, Collin McConaghy, the Summer Quest director, returned to his office adjacent to Jake’s.

Let’s talk numbers, I said. How are they looking this year?

“We’re going to be 1,000 spots ahead of our record year,” he replied. “This year, we’ll fill roughly 4,500 spots. Folks are coming in flocks. All of our camps are full. This year, we’re back to a new normal in that we’re running camps as usual with masks on indoors. The masks are the only thing that’s keeping us away from the pre-pandemic world. We’re not there yet, but we’re close.”

How have we gotten back into the saddle considering the precautions we still have to take?

“Really well,” Collin said. “Our (Collegiate) teachers run so many of our camps. They’ve lived it. They know the protocols, so when people show up, they can relay them really quickly. And we did a really good job of communicating exactly what we wanted so folks knew they had to do coming in. After the year everyone just went through, folks are looking for things that excite them, and showing up, even if you have to wear a mask, is good.”

What new and exciting is going on?

“We brought a new martial arts camp onto campus,” he said. “The ropes course is back in action, which is awesome.  We have a chef's camp going on where we teach the kids to cook and create. Then, there’re the traditional favorites like Discover Richmond and Hooked on Books.”

So we’re off to a good start?

“We’re just excited to have kids back on campus this summer,” Collin said. “We’re excited that we’re getting back to a sense of normalcy.”
    ~Weldon Bradshaw

(Please click here to see a listing of Summer Quest offerings.)
Back