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The Cult in a Boarding School

Nexpo・33 minutes read

Parents sent troubled teenager Wayne Kernochan to Elan, a behavior modification program in Maine marketed as a camp-like facility with a 95% success rate; however, it was a nightmare. Elan subjected students to harsh punishments, manipulation, and abuse, eventually leading to its closure in 2011 due to public outrage and online exposure.

Insights

  • Elan, marketed as a positive growth center for troubled youth, turned out to be a harsh and abusive environment where students faced extreme control, coercion, and degrading punishments, revealing a stark contrast between its advertised image and the reality of its operations.
  • Inspired by Synanon, Elan adopted similar practices under Joe Ricci's leadership, utilizing tactics like public humiliation, strict control, and physical punishments, which ultimately led to tragic outcomes, including student deaths, unsolved murders, and lasting trauma among alumni, highlighting the dangerous consequences of such manipulative and coercive programs.

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Recent questions

  • What was Elan's initial purpose?

    Elan was founded to correct teen behavior without punishment.

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Summary

00:00

Elan: Troubled Teen Program Exposed

  • Wayne Kernochan, a troubled teenager, is sent to Elan, a behavior modification program in Maine, by his parents.
  • Elan is marketed as a camp-like facility with a 95% success rate in improving troubled youth.
  • Elan was founded in the 1970s by Gerald Davidson, David Goldberg, and Joseph Ricci to correct teen behavior without punishment.
  • Students arriving at Elan are shocked by the harsh reality of the facility, with some being shackled and yelled at upon arrival.
  • Parents could sign their child's life over to Elan with a simple signature and payment, believing it to be a positive growth center.
  • Students were often violently abducted from their homes by Elan's teen escort service in the middle of the night.
  • Upon arrival at Elan, students were stripped of their individuality, forced into conformity, and assigned a "big brother" to guide them.
  • The social hierarchy at Elan divided students into "strengths" and "non-strengths," with harsh punishments for communication between the two groups.
  • Students were forbidden from contacting the outside world unless they earned the privilege through compliance and good behavior.
  • Students were coerced into writing "guilt letters" praising Elan's program, which were heavily monitored and scrutinized before being sent to parents.

16:14

Elan School: Control, Rules, Punishments, Tragedy

  • Elan school staff maintained strict control over students, leading many to comply with the program rather than rebel.
  • Elan school had an extensive set of rules, known as guilt, which students had to follow, including restrictions on various actions like reading, interacting, and even smiling.
  • Expediters at Elan were tasked with catching rule-breakers and often made false accusations to fill their clipboards.
  • Punishments at Elan varied, with one example being students living in a dumpster for over two weeks, monitored by an expediter.
  • Humiliation was a common tactic at Elan, with escapees labeled as split risks and forced to wear specific clothing to hinder movement.
  • Students faced degrading punishments like wearing dunce caps and performing repetitive tasks for hours on end.
  • General meetings at Elan were used to publicly berate and break down students, lasting for hours until administrators decided to end them.
  • School time at Elan was focused on self-assigned work with no extracurricular activities or legitimate exams, often leading to students dozing off.
  • The ring at Elan was a severe punishment involving students being designated as bullies and forced to fight others until staff deemed them sufficiently injured.
  • A tragic incident involving a student named Philip Williams in the ring resulted in his death, with Elan's official response being that he had faked headaches.

32:13

"Synanon and Elan: Cults Exposed and Closed"

  • Charles Dederich Senior founded Synanon in early 1958 in Santa Monica, California, initially as a drug rehabilitation program for delinquents.
  • Synanon utilized a therapy called "the game," akin to attack therapy, to break down individuals' social constructs before rebuilding them as better people.
  • By 1991, Synanon disbanded due to criminal convictions, leaving behind a dark legacy as a dangerous cult in America.
  • Elan, inspired by Synanon, adopted similar practices under Joe Ricci's leadership, maintaining a positive public image through media manipulation.
  • Reports of Elan's true nature began to surface in the late '70s and early '80s, with escapees revealing the school's harsh realities.
  • Three students who escaped Elan faced varying fates, including being caught by authorities, shot by a homeowner, and sexually assaulted and murdered.
  • Martha Moxley's murder in 1975 remained unsolved until 2000 when Michael Skakel, a student at Elan, confessed to the crime, leading to his arrest and conviction.
  • Skakel's confession exposed Elan's atrocities, sparking public outrage and eventually leading to the school's closure in 2011 due to online backlash.
  • Joe Ricci's death in 2001 from lung cancer marked a turning point for Elan, with his wife Sharon Terry taking over amidst increasing scrutiny.
  • The rise of internet forums like Reddit in 2010 facilitated the exposure of Elan's abuses, ultimately contributing to the school's shutdown in 2011 due to online defamation.

48:18

Elan School: Abuse, Trauma, Closure, Documentary

  • The Elan school closed due to declining student numbers, but the real reason was the numerous suicides and lasting damage inflicted on students, leading to rampant PTSD among alumni. A documentary called "The Last Stop" by former student Todd Nelson sheds light on the school's damaging practices, with hundreds of stories online exposing the cruelty endured for 41 years, ultimately leading to the school's closure.
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