Vaccination requirement

1. Every person needs to be fully vaccinated to attend, except children too young to be eligible (0-4).  This means anyone age five and older (according to the newest CDC guidelines). If you aren’t able to get vaccinated for medical or other reasons, we’ll miss you and look forward to seeing you when we’ve conquered COVID.
2. We will require proof of vaccination as part of the online event registration. You will be able to upload a scanned copy or cell phone photo of your CDC vaccination card. We will have a designated person if you need help with this.
3. We will require you to show your vaccine card at event registration on 12/27/2021. 
4. We strongly recommend you have your Covid booster (if you’re eligible) and your annual flu shot, as well! Because immunity wanes, the Covid booster can increase your protection by a factor of five to seven. Protecting against flu and other colds is especially important so your immune system is ready to do battle with Covid and not distracted by the great-great-great-great grandchild of the Spanish flu.
5. We will have a mural at Watson where we can post and celebrate our post-vaccine thoughts! 

Testing requirements

1. Wear a mask at all times
2. Move into their rooms as usual (if sharing a room with a person who did not come in their car, both should be masked when in their room (although that can’t be monitored roommates would have to agree to that possibility and choose their roommate wisely).
3. Socially distance and/or socialize outside
4. Refrain from singing
5. Eat meals 6 feet apart from anyone else

During the event
Everyone will take a follow-up rapid test on the 29th. Look here for additional details about what happens before you get a negative rapid test result or if you test positive.

Event protocols

1. Everyone will fill out a daily attestation that they are symptom free.
   This will be a simple questionnaire – part of our WA ritual.
2. Anyone with Covid symptoms will need to quarantine and take extra precautions until testing negative (two rapid tests)
   Quarantine will most likely be in designated rooms – details TBD
   “Extra precautions” to include masking, staying six feet distant or outside, not being in a room with other people, etc. There are several locations in Painted Post that offer free testing for people with Covid symptoms. Because rapid tests are less sensitive than PCR tests, we will require a follow-up negative test to release you from quarantine.We will share more details closer to the event. Many colleges used quarantine dorms to keep their students safe in the school year before the vaccine was available. 

Masks and more

No Masking requirement – but you be you!
While we will not require attendees to be masked during the event, if you feel the need for extra protection, there are plenty of comfortable and highly effective KN95 or N95 masks available. These masks are highly effective at protecting the wearer as well as those around you. There are even masks made for singing (see here). 

Tackling ALL bugs with hand washing and sanitizer
We will have lots of unscented hand sanitizer readily available: about every 20 feet around the main room, several in the Rec hall and at least one in each classroom. If we are holding hands for dances, touching each other in games and handling scissors, chairs etc. we will ask people to wash hands with warm soapy water or sanitize between each dance, game, etc. This is less for covid and more for flu, colds, stomach bugs, sore throat’s, etc. Those have been BIG problems at SEVERAL WAs and this isn’t a time to flirt with anything that could be misconstrued as Covid

While at Watson – staffing safety

Note that neither New York state nor county laws allow employers with under 100 employees to require vaccinations, and employers are not allowed to even ask about vaccination status. Because we cannot require Watson staff to be vaccinated, we will instead require all staff take the following additional precautions – just in case!

1. Watson Homestead staff will be required to wear N95 or KN95 masks whenever indoors.
2. Practice frequent hand hygiene
3. Stay 6 feet away from all conferees unless masked
4. Attest on paper or an app EVERY DAY to the health questions
5. Clean rooms when they are unoccupied and, if possible, air the room for a few minutes after cleaning.

Meals at Winter Adventure are usually served “buffet style.” Will this change in light of Covid?

We still plan on serving meals buffet-style. Although the CDC initially recommended that people sanitize their groceries, it has long been recognized that Covid is spread by air, not by “fomites” (virus that is on an object). The risk of transmitting Covid via buffet-style dining is negligible. See the World Health Organization’s page on getting Covid from food or food packaging. Note that Watson staff will be masked and each person will serve themselves. 

How about ice cream at New Years’ Eve?

New Years Eve ice cream sundaes will be switched to individual ice cream bars (Klondike, ice cream sandwiches, Dove, cookie sandwiches, individual cups) and various popsicles. More than one per person, or course, so we can all still gorge!

Any other changes to the usual Winter Adventure activities?

We will likely be modifying some of our classes and group programming to allow for more socially distancing, in general. This may mean singing in a big circle in the main room or in smaller “pods” instead of close around the fire. We haven’t figured everything out, but we’re working on it! If you have suggestions about things that have worked with groups you’re involved in, email our de facto Covid-compliance officer (a writer at the Broad Institute, which was tapped by the CDC to help with tracking and mitigating the Covid pandemic) at allie@ecrs.org.

Are rapid tests accurate enough to keep us safe?

It’s well-known that rapid antigen tests are not as sensitive as PCR test (i.e. there’s a greater a chance that a rapid tests will give a false negative result even if you do have some Covid in your body). However, rapid antigen tests are more accurate the more viral load you have in your body – i.e. when you are symptomatic or if Covid has been replicating in your body long enough to really build up. This is exactly when you are most contagious!

Because we will want to identify people who are actually contagious at WA, rapid antigen tests are the best thing to use at the event. 

Are you sure you will have enough rapid tests? I have heard they are ins short supply

We have already reserved 160 CLIA-approved, FDA Emergency Use-approved Abbott BinaxNow Point of Care tests. These tests have a sensitivity of 97.1% and specificity of 98.5% and take 15 minutes for results. You can read more about these rapid tests by clicking here.

Will you be testing temperatures?

Fevers are not, by themselves, a good predictor of Covid (see this in the NYTimes). That is why we will be relying on a layered approach (vaccination, a combination of testing, isolation and other precautions if feeling unwell) rather than requiring everyone to take their temperature several times a day. 

We will require everyone to attest that they are symptom-free every day.

Can you guarantee I won’t get Covid at WA?

We cannot guarantee you won’t get Covid. However, if you are fully vaccinated, the chances that you will get Covid are significantly smaller than the chances you will be in a car accident on the way to or from Watson Homestead. Vaccinated people who do get Covid are much, much less likely to get very sick. If the thought of catching the flu or a cold hasn’t kept you from WA in the past, it really shouldn’t keep you away this year. See No, Vaccinated People Are Not ‘Just as Likely’ to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People for a great summary. 

Have a Covid-related question about in-person WA?

Email allie@ecrs.org our resident astrophsysicist-turned-biomedical writer and Covid resource. She’ll answer you directly and post the answer here.

Learn International Folk Dancing, with an emphasis on cultural appreciation, physical movement, community-building, and fun. Class will include a wide variety of dances in terms of ethnicity, mood, rhythm, tempo, complexity, etc.

Class requirements/materials
Ages 9 and up or with special permission

There will be opportunities for practice teaching.

A crafts class in the ECRS tradition of “process over product”. Energy + Creativity = Community.

Class requirements/materials
Participants can bring scissors, markers, magazines, one’s collage collection, even envelopes if one wants to make folded card/s.

Ages 16+
Class size limited to 16

Opportunities for practice leading available and need not be limited to postcards (i.e. lead a session on printing or other).

Discover your core value statements and create intentional and meaningful identity building statements that will deepen your connection to yourself and what is important to you.

Through a structured program and use of interactive exercises and meditations, such as journaling, games, meditation, dyads, and personal reflection, participants will leave, with action-based core value statements that they can refer to in in their daily lives.

Class requirements/materials
Journal or Pen/Paper. Will be some meditation, so bring a willingness to meditate. But no experience needed!

Age 18+

Use vocals and rhythms to explore joy, emotions, silliness, and spontaneity.

We’ll open with sound and movement introductions, then play a few games involving rhythm and music improv – inserting words in the spaces between drum beats – singing repeated phrases to create an improvised vocal tapestry – using nonsense syllables to express We’ll also explore toning which can be joyful, calming, and energizing.

Ages 18+

I recently travelled to Ghana where I was introduced to the beautiful symbolic language of Adinkra, which is traditionally printed on ceremonial fabric. Their use on textiles, jewelry, carvings and architecture has broadened in the last century. The Adinkra symbols represent metaphors or attributes often tied to proverbs. The symbols are not only visually pleasing. They can inspire complex reflection upon poetic messages. I would like to share my enthusiasm and spirit of introductory learning through creating small Adinkra style symbols from cardboard for rubbing patterned arrangements on paper.

We will: Ponder a proverb together. Check out some traditional Adinkra symbols and their attributes. Demo, cut and glue cardboard shapes creating rubbing stamps. Use colored rubbing sticks to repeat and alternate shared symbols into creative patterns and messages.

Class requirements/materials
Bring strong scissors and a glue gun, if you have them.

Class limited to 20 people
Age 14+

If you can write you can WRITE!!  In this class we will start with some original exercises designed to stimulate creativity and break through writing blocks. Want to learn what part of your brain houses your imagination, or visit a word museum? After some playful warmups you will be given a series of prompts to write what you know best —the stories of your lives. In a safe, supportive, nurturing, and confidential environment you will share these stories with each other.  There will also be an optional opportunity to read your work to the larger ECRS community in a special evening showcase. 

This class is appropriate for people who have always wanted to write and never thought they could, experienced writers with a regular writing practice, and everyone in between.  Please commit to both days of  each mini (though you can choose to take only one mini – or both!). Come and discover your authentic voice and the written expression of your deep heart. 

Course materials/requirements
Please bring a journal or notebook to write in and something to write with. Participants are strongly encouraged to use paper and pen, though writing on a computer is allowed. Please come with a curious mind and an open heart. 

Age 16+
Class limited to 16 people

Do you enjoy music? Does it make you want to move and flow with the beat? Judi and Marko will lead us in some exercises and dance to explore ways we can enjoy the rhythms and stretch our entire bodies. Fun for all ages and abilities.

Have you ever wanted to experience being someone other than yourself or perhaps an animal or an inanimate object!  Participants will be encouraged to use their imagination to bring whatever they choose to life.  What does a table think when a flower is put on its top?  How does a lion react when a rabbit tries to become its friend?  How would the story go if your favorite fairy tale or fable had a different outcome?  This course will consist of creative dramatic warm ups, exercises and games and culminate in the creation of small group skits to be performed for the rest of the group.

Class requirements
Age 11 and up
No cap on group size ( the more the merrier!); minimum is 12.

Are you searching for an antidote to screens and technology? This Mini will help you disconnect, unplug, and refocus your attention to the natural environment. We will walk silently together, “center” ourselves, become more aware of our senses, and even lower our blood-pressure!

We will walk on trails (or on plowed roads if there is deep snow), alongside creeks, and to a nearby waterfall. The leaders will give prompts for being present and mindful of the rich sensory experiences of the forest, the air, the water, and the earth below us. On both days, time will be set aside for participants to share reflections of their experience with the group.

Class requirements
Wear clothing appropriate for winter hiking. All ages and abilities welcome!

Learn the basic tenets of improv and the core ideas.

No materials required. No class size or age restrictions! Opportunity for guest leadership if interested.

What does it take to be an ECRS leader? How does ECRS leadership differ from leadership in other situations? This two day class will examine what it means to be an effective leader in any situation, but will put particular emphasis on ECRS leadership philosophy. This will be an interactive experience focusing on identifying one’s leadership abilities, with the opportunity for feedback and practice. Some group dynamic theory will be included.

The course will consist of activities designed to develop and/or improve one’s leadership potential and impact. Through a combination of experiential exercises, structured fun activities and discussions, participants will identify and practice leadership strategies for building and maintaining a cohesive productive group.

Course materials/requirements
Age 13 and up

We’ll take turns leading a song and telling a (politically correct – or at least not offensive)  joke. Instruments optional. This was so successful online that I would like to do it in person which would be even more enjoyable.

Participants will construct the course content by their contributions. This is not intended to replace or interfere with late-night-sing but rather to give those who can’t stay up late another opportunity to sing with a group. 

Course materials/requirements
Rise Up Singing or Rise Again songbooks are great to have, but not required.

Finally the curtain rises again!! Comedy, drama and in between. We will utilize scripts, rehearse, create, and perform “theatre”.

Course materials/requirements
Scripts provided. All participants must commit to all four days.
Age 16+
Class limited to 16 people

Let your hair down and play while we revisit old favourites and discover some ‘new’ ones.  At long last a chance to be together, play together and laugh together. Games will be interactive, active, sedate, dramatic, quiet, raucous, silly, serious: whatever works best for the group.

Class materials/requirements
Age 16+
Wear safe footwear and bring a smile.

Have you ever watched the New Years Eve dances and wished you knew more of the steps? Now is your chance to learn! All ages and energy levels welcome to come and take part in the magic of NYE.

Let your hair down and play while we revisit old favourites and discover some ‘new’ ones.  At long last a chance to be together, play together and laugh together. Games will be interactive, active, sedate, dramatic, quiet, raucous, silly, serious: whatever works best for the group.

Class materials/requirements
Age 16+
Wear safe footwear and bring a smile.

A crafts class in the ECRS tradition of “process over product”. Energy + Creativity = Community. You need not attend both class sessions.

Class requirements/materials
Participants can bring scissors, markers, magazines, one’s collage collection, even envelopes if one wants to make folded card/s.

Ages 16+
Class size limited to 16

Opportunities for practice leading available and need not be limited to postcards (i.e. lead a session on printing or other).