ELAN SCHOOL

This is a most disturbing subject and I am horrified that I will offend someone, so I will be as respectful as possible to the former students of the Elan School. But not the director-he can eat shit.

As someone who worked in the Behavioral and Mental Health field for over a decade, I am horrified to know that this place was still in existence as late as 2011. The practices were like something you would hear of going on in the sixties. Coincidently enough, the sixties is exactly where this cult-like treatment facility based its practices from.

Elan school was a residential setting for adolescents with behavioral problems.

Unfortunately, a lot of fed up parents who were out of options decided shipping them off seemed like a good idea instead. Elan boasted such eye opening treatments and learning tools that they even got a “wow would you look at this breakthrough” episode on ABC. I looked it up and it’s hard to believe that anyone watching would think this place was anything more than crap. When I started watching it I actually thought it was a documentary on the horrors of the place, about twenty minutes in I realized, holy moses…they are PROMOTING it!!!! Speechless.

So while I was in the area I decided to visit this thankfully closed down place and got a feel for it. The stories are horrendous. If you did something judged as “stupid” you would have to wear a dunce cap for the whole campus to see. If you were there for being promiscuous or had become pregnant, you were literally labeled with “slut” and had to hang a sign around your neck. This is just the tip of the ice berg as fair as humiliation goes.

Then there was the boxing ring. You were to stand in the center of a circle of other residents (or prisoners depending on how you look at it) and get beat on by your fellow “classmates” until you found the balls to hit back. Most kids did not want to play this game but ultimately you had to fight or the beating would go on, each classmate taking turns while the others cheered them on. This was supposedly to promote confidence and sticking up for yourself but anyone with half a brain could see it was only promoting violence and aiding in even more psychological trauma than the poor people there already had a healthy dose of.

There were other group meetings where you were to stand in front of other classmates/residence/prisoners and let them berate you. You’re only job was to sit there and cry and think about the things you have done to deserve such treatment. Such exercises were to make you understand the wrongs you have done and see that you were to change your ways. (Oh, waaaaaay the hell, no.)

And don’t you dare smile, speak or anything else out of turn. You do as you’re told and nothing more or less. Otherwise you may find yourself scrubbing toilets with a ratty old toothbrush.

How could anyone think this is ok? Well, according to the morons running the place, these abusive exercises were followed up with compliments, hugs and “good job” s. Basically, their justification is ‘we can do what we want as long as we follow it up with a compliment.’ And that ladies and gentlemen, is called a narcissist.

A former hunting lodge, there were several cabins littering the outer campus while the main building was sitting up nice and tall at the front of the property. A path ran through the structures down into the woods. I did not walk the entire trail as I had realized that I had a total of 18 ticks on me and had to rethink this whole thing. Take away the overgrown grass and bushes and the area looked as though they had just gone on a day trip and would be back any moment. Supplies and sports equipment still littered the porches. Filing cabinets, incident reports, fliers, and inspirational posters (are you kidding me) were still on full display. It’s like everyone just got up and walked off, leaving everything behind.

A rusted out trailer boasting a “security” sign greeted me first thing and was situated next to the tattered volleyball and basketball courts. I was almost going to write “this building must have been busy given the barbaric treatments” but I also want to say, the security must have been bored out of their minds given the fact that abuse was what this place was all about.

It’s isolated in the woods at the end of a tattered paved road. The idea was to take away all contact with the world so you could focus on your “treatment” without any outside influences. There were reports that the families and loved ones of the residents didn’t know the extent of what was going on, but even the little they showed in the ABC report would have been enough to turn on a light bulb in my head. Add on the several complaints dating way back to the 70’s and maybe, just maybe…

But who am I to judge.

I wonder why the death of one of the residents didn’t raise an eyebrow. His family was certainly pissed off among other things. He died due to his turn in The Ring while being taught a lesson. This poor boy was essentially beaten to death in my opinion. He was complaining of horrible headaches prior, during, and after his turn in the ring. When his ‘treatment’ was over, he was taken to a secluded room and left there. Another resident, who was in charge of keeping an eye on him, tried to get someone’s attention to take him to the nurse, call an ambulance, HELP HIM. No one would listen. He ended up having a seizure, was FINALLY taken to the nurses’ station and never seen by the other individuals again.

Oh, this is a good one…Apparently because of good behavior and high grades/status you could also work as a staff-for free. Basically all it meant is if you helped abused the others then they wouldn’t abuse you. And just like that brainwashing is added to the list. Yes, you understand correctly. The place was essentially run by other students. I hope to hell I don’t need to explain what’s wrong with that.

Elan thankfully closed in 2011. The wife of one of the jackholes that ran it decided to close it after Elans “good name” was slandered so much online. Give me a break lady. The truth came out, that’s what closed it down.

There are several books and documentaries out there about Elan, some of which are written by former students of the Hellish place, and not a one of them say “Wow, Elan really changed my life! Thanks for everything.” I mean, it likely changed lives but not in any good way.

This article doesn’t even scratch the surface as to everything that was going on. You can see video’s on YouTube on the history of the place as well as videos of people milling thru the remains of the building, trying to be all spooky about it. If anyone from Elan reads this and would like for me to add or correct something, please let me know.