I dug these up while checking out the official Elan School site.
I like this one because I know who the student was that conducted the tour with the interviewer. His name was "Mike Quinn" and he was from Chicago.
I was in Chicago in "94" and my best friends boyfriend was friends with Mike. So we chilled together a few times and he was swooped up off of the sidewalk by the police in front of me when we left a store with Corona's in hand. They were questioning him about some gang stuff. Needless to say he landed in "Cook County Jail". I went to see him a few times and even sent him a few bucks for commisarry. I left Chicago and never heard from him again. Hope he's OK. Elan School
Poland Springs, Maine
Deanna Atkinson, Admissions Director
(207) 998-4666
Visit by: Tom Croke, June, 1992
My visit to Elan occurred on a record breaking 100 degree early June day. My first impression was of a well kept, but somewhat rustic Maine farm. The large group of teenagers off in a field playing soft-ball told me this was the right place. I was warmly greeted by a very busy admission staff. As I was oriented to the facility, however, my hostess, Donna Mangan, referred all questions regarding program to my soon to appear student guide. My guide, a delightful red haired young man I'll call Jeff, was a retired gang member from one of our largest cities (not Los Angeles). He had been at Elan for fifteen months, and was about to go home for his first visit. He was proud of Elan, grateful for what Elan had done to save his life, and did a superb tour.
Jeff escorted me to one of three frame buildings, each having an almost complete self-contained program. Altogether, these houses, plus one more for students close to discharge, contain 135 students. The interior of the building reminded me of a beehive, with all that was happening.
The first floor was a typical eating, cooking and living space. There was also a corridor for girls' dormitory space. In the dining space was a circle of about a dozen intense teenagers with one staff member. Jeff explained they were being confronted for not making sufficient progress (not achieving a high enough level).
Upstairs were a series of offices off the main corridor (in addition to a side corridor with boys' dormitory space). These offices were bustling with activity. Each of these offices had a particular function pertaining to the life and operation of the school, ranging from supervising housekeeping to providing for activities, and providing for security.
Each student is assigned to one of the offices and is given a particular title, establishing rank or level in the system. Each individual has assigned duties in the operation of the facility. Each is kept strictly accountable with intricate accountability procedures. Ranks are divided into two groups, called "strength" and "non-strength," reminiscent of the military distinction between commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. The program gives each group the task of its own maintenance, with strict accountability for precise response to the demands of the situation. Deviation from expectations will lead to heavy verbal confrontation, loss of rank, and privileges. The theory behind the approach is that as students learn to meet the expectations of this system, they will learn to meet the expectations of larger society in a responsible way.
Although the students have much responsibility, admissions are handled by the paid staff, students have no control over who joins their group, and a fully qualified psychologist supervises all therapeutic activities. An analogy to the military is somewhat appropriate, and it turns out many of the staff qualified for their positions through a military background. It is the responsibility of the higher level students to be the first line of stopping runaways, and intervening in other negative behaviors, a job they seem to do quite effectively. This is even to the extent of having a student sentry on duty all night every night (in shifts).
Education for most students takes place in the evening. I did not have an opportunity to observe classes, but did interview the Director of Education. Elan students work on a competency based curriculum adjustable to reflect the requirements of the school back home. Still, Elan can and does award its own diplomas. Elan is quite proud of its excellent college placement record. Reflecting the needs of the program, all homework is done on weekends in supervised study halls, as there is not time during the week.
Although I had limited opportunity to see it in operation, Elan keeps a separate house for students nearing departure, to smooth re-entry. The students living here, usually in the last three months of the eighteen month program, go off campus during the day for activity appropriate to their future plans, usually a job in the community, and attend school evenings with the other students. All have well developed discharge plans when they leave.
Elan is not for the faint hearted. While the atmosphere is highly confrontive, most of the confrontation comes from peers, who are well trained to come back with a high level of support following any stressful confrontation.
Humiliation is stated clearly as a therapeutic tool, as is following up on such intervention with encouragement and warm support. BULLSHIT!Many of their residents have significant Drug and Alcohol history, which Elan understands as a symptom of other pathology, frequently referring for twelve step work after graduation. The entire program stresses student contribution to the life of the student community.
I often hear Elan characterized as a school for the most out of control teenagers, and I often hear the suggestion that it is kind of an east coast Provo Canyon School. Neither perception is accurate, nor fair to either school. Unlike Provo Canyon School, Elan has no passive security systems, and no locked units. Elan takes pride in the fact that most of the direct intervention takes place through peer confrontation rather than interaction with a credentialed therapist, such as the direct treatment at Provo Canyon School. Elan cannot accommodate students who present immediate risk of violent acting out.
I would consider Elan very strongly for a young man or woman with serious oppositional tendencies or a conduct disorder, but who could be safely contained by Elan. I was particularly impressed with the honesty of Elan's presentation, in which I was very clearly exposed to those things they knew would not be to my taste. I feel confident that Elan is what it advertises itself to be.
Here is another one.ÉLAN SCHOOL
Poland, Maine
Connie Kimball, Admissions
207-998-4666
www.elanschool.comVisit by Louise Kreiner CEP & Amy D'Uva, May 17, 2007
Upon entering Poland, ME, we first noticed Shaker Village, a picturesque working town surrounded by rolling hills. A few minutes later, we drove into Elan's driveway. At first glance (on a very dreary day), the school looked less than inviting; a trailer type building showcased the administration building and the grounds looked a little barren (this due to mud season) waiting for life to begin. This is where the dreariness ended.
We were met in Portsmouth, NH, by Elan's driver, a woman named Teresa. Teresa was a lovely, upbeat, dedicated employee of Elan who educated us for the hour and a half ride. Her cheeriness and commitment to the students was our first clue that Elan would be a solid program.
A no-nonsense approach to learning both in the classroom and socially is what both students and staff on every level conveyed to us. The system at Elan deals with reward based on a military style pyramid. Students are all playing on an equal field starting out with various problems including substance abuse, family and social issues, academic failure, truancy, promiscuity and other defiant behavioral issues. Good behavior is rewarded by being given more responsibility in the two main houses. Poor behavior means demotion back down to the bottom of the pyramid. This school is run by the theory that each student is to be respectful of the others. In other words, when a situation comes up, student input is weighed heavily in determining discipline, therapy and consequences given to their peers. Recommendations for group session topics are also suggested by the students and reviewed by the staff. To our amazement, some of the students we spoke to privately had been in other programs, were 18 or older and had chosen to stay at Elan until completion of school and graduation. This in itself is a remarkable feat. We believe students recognize the dedication of staff and teachers to their cause. We love to see a strong academic component with solid courses a "real education". Elan has it. Each student who was closing in on graduation was going off to colleges in various locations across the country including "name schools".
When asked, the students spoke quite highly of all of the different facets of their lives in Maine. The program is meant to be co-educational and takes students from age 13. On our particular visit the youngest students there happen to be 16. Elan is not a clinical program nor do they pretend to be. Don't look for the Ritz here. The accommodations are cramped but spotless maintained by the worker bees (lowest on the pyramid). There is little TV or movie watching and only homework or college search can be done in the computer labs. Meal times are done in each house and run by top level students. Elan has a five-week rotating menu which is approved by a certified dietician to ensure that students receive proper nutrition. The food looked edible but again it's not a five star menu.
Quite simply Elan is down home Maine. The bonds with teachers, staff and each other are what drives and motivates these kids to become caring, responsible adults. The foundation given at Elan should catapult each student into college, work or back to family successfully.
And last but not least...The Elan School was founded nearly 35 years ago when Joseph Ricci, who graduated from a therapeutic community himself and psychiatrist, Gerald Davidson, became disenchanted with traditional adolescent treatment. Both Ricci and Davidson are now deceased and Sharon Terry, Ricci’s widow, runs the school.
In the past 10 years, I have not seen another program with the depth of staff experience that Elan offers. The Executive Director began at the school 27 years ago; Admissions Director, Deanna Valente, has 20 years experience working with families; Clinical Director, Dr. Jerry Sapan, 15 years; Dr. Vander Putten, Medical Director, 16 years. The Academic Director, Frank McDermott, who retired as a superintendent from a public school system in Maine, started at Elan a mere five years ago, but brings a wealth of experience to the school. The four senior directors have been at Elan for 28, 20, 16 and 10 years respectively. They are directly responsible for the two houses where the students live. Five staff members graduated from Elan, and their history of employment at the school is 34 years, 28 years, 22 years, 2 years, with the last one recently hired. Leadership and experience are critical to a program’s effectiveness, and Elan’s strength is clearly illustrated in the staffs’ level of experience.
At Elan School, the program is delivered through a very complex therapeutic community/ positive peer culture model that found its roots in self-help substance abuse models developed at DAYTOP, Phoenix House, and Synanon. Students play a significant role in the school in the tradition of positive peer influence, meaning, the students actively confront others concerning their behaviors and attitudes. Students take order and responsibility seriously at Elan.
The student who toured me around the campus was leaving Elan in a few weeks. He was articulate about the details of the program, had clear ideas of attending college and moving on with his life. He appeared to be competent and business like in his demeanor with clarity of where he was going and why. Looking almost like bees around a beehive, the students I saw were completing their daily chores and duties. It was interesting to see how intense they were in their daily responsibilities, and one can only surmise that Elan places a very high emphasis on accountability.
Elan believes many youth practice “pseudoâ€
