A notorious therapeutic boarding school cloaked in controversy and allegations of abuse.
Founded in 1970 by psychiatrist Gerald Davidson, investor David Goldberg, and Joseph Ricci, a former heroin addict and dropout, Élan School was initially a drug treatment program that quickly evolved into a boarding school for troubled teens aged 12 to 19. It became infamous for its use of Synanon-like methods, including attack therapy, public humiliation, and abuse, often under the guise of rehabilitation.
Élan School was situated in Poland, Maine, promising a solution to desperate parents seeking to correct their children’s behavioral and psychological issues. Ricci’s vision for Élan was to serve as a last resort, where parents sent their children when all other avenues had failed. The school adopted a range of controversial tactics to enforce discipline, including screaming sessions, wearing humiliating signs, and physical confrontations known as “The Ring”.
The student experiences at Élan School were polarizing. Some alumni credit the school with saving their lives, while many others describe it as a place of severe abuse. These testimonies include reports of restraint, humiliation, corporal punishment, and forced participation in “The Ring,” which, in one tragic case, was linked to the death of a student, Phil Williams Jr., in 1982.
Élan School attracted students with a variety of issues, from drug involvement to defiance towards authority. Admission involved secretive methods, where some children were forcibly taken to the school in the dead of night. The school enforced a strict regime, stripping students of their possessions, and employing a tiered system that governed their daily lives, education, and progression within the school’s hierarchy.
Public and legal scrutiny increased over the years, particularly following the involvement of Michael Skakel, a Kennedy relative and a student at Élan, in a murder trial. Skakel’s time at Élan, where he was coerced into a confession under duress, brought the school’s controversial methods into the spotlight.
The closure of Élan School in 2011 was attributed to declining enrollment and financial difficulties, exacerbated by negative publicity and an online campaign led by former students and activists. Despite its closure, the school’s legacy remains controversial, with former students and their families continuing to grapple with the aftermath.
Élan was also the subject of various media portrayals, including documentaries and a graphic novel, which have contributed to the public’s understanding of the school’s impact on its students.
image via Reddit
