Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Anonymous on January 13, 2004, 04:25:00 PM
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http://www.strugglingteens.com/news/cascadeclosure.html (http://www.strugglingteens.com/news/cascadeclosure.html)
CASCADE SCHOOL
January 12, 2004
It is with the deepest regret that we must inform you the Cascade School will be closing on January 20, 2004.
Over the past year, the school responded to decreased enrollment by cutting costs and restructuring its business, and the outlook by December was promising.
Unfortunately, the enrollment dropped precipitously, with the unanticipated withdrawal of students during the holiday break and the first week of January. As a result, the school is no longer able to meet its financial obligations, and our remaining students will need to transfer to other settings on or before January 20.
We are deeply distressed that this action had been necessary. We have enjoyed working with you over the past twenty years. We are proud of the hundreds of children who benefited from their enrollment at Cascade, and we thank you for your role in making possible those successes.
Sincerely,
Michael Allgood, Headmaster
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Where is eric meltzer craig cass dennis kroll?
any alumni ?
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thats a load of bullshit it closed down cuz you owners didnt do shit, the program was outdated and the owners lacked the care to run it.
there was a huge rebellion, massive refusal, 29/35 students refusing
thats a pile of bullshit you fag (seriously he is gay)
stop trying to cover up / making ur self look good
just like when you told my parents that the program would help me when it didnt you try to make ur selves look good
programs are such a stupid idea...
1)the promise they are going to help
they never do, they just try to get kids currupt, so the kids can look good and get a better chance to go come, the kids that "do good" actually are the most currupt piles of shit ever
2) every kid that doesnt become currupt they send off to wilderness/kick out/send to lockdown
you're a pile of lies
and i heard you stepped on a kids toes and yelled at his face when he asked for his movie back
you put me through hell you fag
die please
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Did Cascade truly close due to low enrollment? If the refusal portion is true, perhaps progression is needed.
Some people came away with some good things from Cascade, others didn't. Cascade was hard and some parts were overboard, however I came out pretty well as did my friends from there. Some of those friends disliked Cascade more than you, bitter former Cascadian, but they have moved on, and made something of themselves.
What I am wondering is what will happen to the school? Is there potiential to turn it into a regular college-prep school (THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC)? A school can help young teenagers, without therapy as its foundation.
It seems that the owners have forgotten us alumni the people who survived the worst and embraced the best of the program. Is there anything we can do? Would it be possible to change the school web-site into an offical communication source, perhaps develop an alumni association?
Best wishes to everyone,
SRB - Class 98'
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On 2004-01-13 13:25:00, Anonymous wrote:
Unfortunately, the enrollment dropped precipitously, with the unanticipated withdrawal of students during the holiday break and the first week of January. As a result, the school is no longer able to meet its financial obligations, and our remaining students will need to transfer to other settings on or before January 20.
First off, during every break at least a few kids get pulled. Secondly, only four(4)kids got pulled during the break. Most importantly, People left the first week of January because you kicked them all out, it's ironic that you promise to help every kid that comes, and when you just cant get the kids to agree with the program you send them away to lockdown or wilderness. A lot of parents also saw that the school was coming to the end and managed to pull thier kids out before you closed. You blame your problems on under enrollment, which you have no one else to blame but your self.
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Some people came away with some good things from Cascade, others didn't. Cascade was hard and some parts were overboard, however I came out pretty well as did my friends from there. Some of those friends disliked Cascade more than you, bitter former Cascadian, but they have moved on, and made something of themselves.
The Cascade that you went to had changed immensely from its early years. Many of us bore the blood, sweat and tears to get it to where it was comfortable for you.
There are a lot of people who aren't as strong as you. Their experiences at Cascade took away parts of them that they cannot retrieve. Some have never recovered and some have died.
Be content with your own fortune, not at anothers expense.
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Is this the same school that Paris Hilton went to?
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She went to CEDU. :eek:
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L Poston '89, alumni site moderator
phoenixxgraphics at hotmail dot com
Please do not send flame mail - only site inquiries.
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If anyone wants to know why Cascade suddenly closed after many years in business I'd be happy to "fill in the blanks". Believe me it was not due to "lack of enrollment", although, that is the current party line.
Like all entities of this type it had it's good points, and bad points. I do believe that it could have been a very good place, and was in the past, but something went terribly wrong and the adminstration bailed.
Enrollemnt was not decreased due to parent dissatisfaction, but rather the school was forcing the students out so as to have an excuse for when they closed the school. It's a rather long, and convoluted, story so if anyone really wants the 'TRUTH (what a novel idea) just respond and I'll give you the whole mess.
In closing the school, the move by this administration really hurt alot of the children that were doing quite well there, per usual, the lives of the children are never, ever considered when making a corporate decision. Many children that were really doing well were thrust back into environments where they didn't have the necessary coping mechanisms to thrive given all the changes.
Again, if anyone would like to hear the "true" story just let me know. Unfortunately the truth is oftentimes not very pretty when dealing with these types of schools, and situations. The sad thing is is that this school could have been a safe, reputable, academically challenging and wonderful place for children not thriving in a main stream setting. it seems to me that only the "good" schools go under, and the really bad one's thrive - what's that about?
Sorry for the ramble, but I'm also looking for kids that had been at Cascade in the last year, or so. Like all other's just send a note to me here.
Thanks, M
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I've just read your message about Cascade, and I would really like to know the "truth" about the school's closing. My son was there, and was asked to "leave" in August as were many other kids. From the postings that I read it appears that the administration did, in fact, kick out the kids, and that enrollment didn't drop. So what's the true story?
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I would like to hear what you have to say.. i attended cascade and i am now writing a research paper on the school ...a.s.a.p thanks
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i just left a message forgot to add in my email address it is
[email protected]
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I would be very interested in knowing the truth.
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I'm very curious about the details of this closing. I have been on that campus and knew some of the staff (lived with one for years) 10 years ago. Please email details to:
[email protected]
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i went to Cascade for four months when i was sixteen. i would really like to know what went down with the school.
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i agree. Fuck Cascade.
i went there 5 years ago and it was a truly tramatizing experience. i am happy for all of you who got something good out of it, though i have a hard time believing you and my guess is that you were the brainwashed kiss ass conformists that were so abundant and fucking fake. i was sent to a lockdown after Cascade where the therapists described it as an abusive school. i am so happy it has been shut down. that place is disgusting. this is amazing news to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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I graduated in '94 and was disappointed to hear of the closure. None the less I would love to contact some of those folks as it is our 10 year reunion. Any suggestions?
BDF
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I graduated from cascade in 98. I am very curious to here what actually happened there. If someone could tell me that would be great. Please email me at [email protected]
Also, why can't the true story just be posted here?
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I went to cascade in 1991 and have been trying to find info on others experiences for the last 5 or so years. I NEED to talk to other alumni, especially if you were there between 1990-1992.
I am very interested in the closing and would appreciate the real story, as well as info on what is happening to the campus. My email is [email protected]
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I would very much like to know the true story. I am an alumni of Cascade ('01). I benefited greatly from Cascade in a variety of ways. I feel that many of my peers did as well. Much of this benefit was from peers not neccaserily the "establishment". Not many teens have the social freedom to show caring and love to their friends in as many ways. I also astill have a good friend with whom I am producing a movie, so that worked out ok right? Anyway I would love to know the story behind the closure. I miss those sunday brunches damnit.
JAZ ('01)
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Hello,
This is my 1st attempt to track down a cascade site and I couldn't find any! What's the deal? I tried to go to the website and it wasn't there, so I was confused. Did Cascade the aka "fuck up school" (in my terms)really close?! I personally am glad that the school closed down, shocked, but glad. I feel like the whole thing just fucked with my head. I guess it's like this, its like a religion, if it helped you then good for you, but if it just confused the shit out of you, then I FEEL YOUR PAIN. I graduated 5 years ago and i still have uneasy feelings about the whole thing. I searched and searched and it would be nice to know what REALLY happend to the school so i can put it in my paper DUE on NEXT WEEK!!!
I read that it was boycotted by both staff and parents sending their kids their? T/F?
b/c Michael Allgood and some other gy at CEDU molested some kids? T/F?
Did Michael Allgood really come from CEDU before going to Cascade? But anyways,
That the school was way too expenseive and parents couldn't afford it? T/F?
Well I dont know, you tell me! :smile:
Email me PLEASE: [email protected]
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hey its me "Lav" if any of you were here till the end. Hahahahahah I was last one pulled...but yeah good thing it closed down...me, Scott D., Mario, Priggs, and Bogey are gonna visit the campus and see what its like now that they don't have us (slaves) to maintain the campus.
:lol: LAV
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LAV again and by the way...read this (its about Michael Allgood and Cedu) http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?fo ... topic=6517 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?forum=11&topic=6517)
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Allgood had his way with more than a few young boys in the 70's but did he really molest again? what is the truth about cascade closing. allgood lies more than oj simpson and thinks because he needs money to pay for his house he has a right to lie to all. staff were ordered to lie to all and fined if they did not he usually had felons who would lie because they did not want to be abused by him
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the seeds planted at cascade, however deeply, however intended, have begun to come to fruition for us all and likely those with whom we shared our experiences post-cascade, am i right? valuable lessons were imparted there by mostly-well-meaning individuals--
there must be some sort of information to be released about the details of the closure-- of andy schiel's death-- what happened to ryan poland?-- what about sean mclarry? anyone? anyone? what about berman? abbott? allgood? scott-free and laughing? (pardon the pun-- i believe at least in the goodness of scott abbott. a very good man in my eyes, in my memory...) still, where do old cascade staff go when the school closes down?
those poor miserable folks-- just trying to help, to do their job... and somehow simply misguided... or was it cascade's karma to be eliminated soasto allow the true nature of our individual souls to self-actualise as nature would have initially liked to have seen? i would really hope that whatever needs to be taken care of to put fears and rumors to rest regarding cascade and its aftermath can be presented... preferrably not by a guilty party only but by a realistic factual source.
isn't anyone wondering what the hell really went down?
otherwise, so long and thanks for all the memories...
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to quote another's post re:boarding school wisdom:
Hide behind a bag, take no responsibility for your sarcastic comments, stay anonymous so no one can confirm or dispell your claims? Hell, no one can even track your posts. You are not mature, balance, healthy, transparent or responsible. Sounds more like you learned well how to judge and manipulate.
ah yes! the Cascade school way! i too am a graduate-- a jaded, frustrated, let-down-and-in-turn letting-a-lot-of-others-down-graduate of the self-help program that is the financial drain known as the cascade school. {that IS what was taught... and how to make it all seem so honest... (I...am an honest and loving man...mmmmm...) [bask in others' warm glow as the reality of life slips me by...] "yes... i am an honest and loving man", although while enrolled (locked-away?)} i had NO CLUE what was actually happening to us all... honestly BRAINWASHED.
i was a pissy kid, but perhaps a little too bright or honest or something to realise the gravity of the situation----- that my brethren (mostly student gov't reps) who were busted at the giving tree (1992), taking each others' blood orally, were not acting of simply their own accord, but perhaps they were just tending to one of allgood's seeds-- or when another committee-head offed himself (shortly after graduation 1993), citing certain incidents with certain counsellors, which left him feeling completely worthless and abused... and of course, now i find that after TEN years, the emotions are returning-- and not just the ones which i have cultivated for myself, but horrible nightmarish imagery of others' stories from the TRUTH and other workshops. trauma.
and what of the follow-up? what follow-up?
personally, i returned once, unannounced, to look around down in whitmore, only to be greeted by p rudy, as she returned from a day on her mountain... only to learn a few weeks later that she told everyone that i was on drugs and looking for free shit------ GREAT follow-up, y'all! that's the support we need after having all of our defenses removed from our repertoires! yes! beat us mercilessly with your words and ideas-- the very ones for which YOU, the staff, were running from when you went to YOUR fucked-up institutions and had your dreams squashed.
taking your anger out on all of us through snide remarks and manipulative brainwashing worked. we are out here in the real world spreading misinformation, thinking ourselves gods and bearing the fire of the GODS for it. but you taught us that this is our path. one of flames. purification. perfection.. at any cost.
and now i am learning to unbecome my misery.
i hope we all can... without serious trauma.
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I can't believe Cascade closed. I went there from 93-95 and thought it was a descent experience. If anyone around here went there around that time and knows why it closed e-mail me at
Alex
[email protected]
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Paula Rudy was a cedu puppet like scott abbott they were programed by allgood so he could have his way with you. ever get sick of hearing them say how much it helped their lives. narcissistic "if you were me you would understand, we are your friends crap" what were dennis kroll and craig cass and lynn like? and was that psycho allgood wife dan something there. heard he got remarried. allgood used the loyalty thing to con everybody just like the Mafia. they betrayed us this "sudden decreased enrollment" means allgood got caught molesting again and the insurance company will not provide lawyers for him anymore because they cannot raise rates on him anymore
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who was at cascade in 2003 on this site?
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The truth is that Michael Allgood is a Liar. Every word that comes out of his mouth is designed to con you into thinking that he is all about making and having friends. This is a LIE, kids . you are being brainwashed. he cons kids into saying they will be friends to keep them there so he can mindfuck them to death. He uses the promise of conditional love to control you and to turn others against you if you leave. He says he does not abuse kids anymore like he used too but when no one is watching he does it again and again. he chose cascade because he could parents and law enforcement away and he is a master at getting people to what he wants them to, over the phone he lies compulsively. when he is surrounded by followers he threatens kids with their lives. when confronted , he says he is just taking care of his feelings, but when alone with kids he does it again, if others are around he orders them to LIE or they will be abused if they are kids or fired if they are employees. Talk to kids who are part of the declining enrollment ( molested kids whose parents found out what games he was playing) walk outs are common with allgood institutions so is forcing everyone to believe his principles and turning kids against other kids who talk openly, he tries to minimize the damage he does by saying he was just hazing but he is an ignorant narcisistic CULT leader who only cares about those who will lie on his orders.
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i wanna hear more about why cascade closed. i was there. graduated.
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I just randomly googled "the cascade school" and found this site... what memories I am having today!
I left Cascade before graduating to go to college back in '88. I was there for 3 years. I have done well in life, and only keep in touch with a few friends from there, who are all doing great also. Cascade was only a tool that you could either use or not use. I used Cascade to get into a good college, and to clean up my emotional life, and for that it worked well...
Does anyone know the "truth" about what supposedly happened there when it closed? If so, please post it so we can all read it. If it is the truth, then it should be okay to tell to everyone.
-Charnley
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Tell us about the cascade staff one at a time how were they? tell us what they did and how they operated? it sounds like a clone of that cedu
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Posted: 2004-10-27 17:14:00 Tell us about the cascade staff one at a time how were they? tell us what they did and how they operated?
berman, dan: rumored to have made more than a few kids cringe under his touch... some who couldn't handle it after they graduated. he ran away after graduation 1993.
abbott, scott: see berman, dan. silk fetish, deep philosopher. nicer i think than most remember.
cass, craig: taught history, ran forums, blamed the dog for everything (but who doesn't?) ANGRY but mostly controlled.
cass, barb: craig's wife. never around.
tilles, art: genius. happy to turn friends against one-another, but only with the intent to make us think about our actions.
tilles, gail: art's wife. never around except for admissions work.
allgood, michael: see abbott, scott, silk fetish. for being the headmaster, he could care less about the kids, unless you too had a silk-fetish and didn't ask any questions that proved you had a mind of your own.
sours, stan: cascad'e saving grace for years. art teacher, philosopher and REAL PERSON.
sours, judy: see sours, stan. somehow these folks lasted through the bullshit for a very long time. THANK YOU!
getchell, ned/ ibit: programmed counsellors- middle school- angry. nice, but angry. never ask them for anything.
janowitz, carl (WHO?): upper school/leadershit counsellor. spent more time inviting little girls over to his on-campus hideaway (right behind the girls' dorms) for the night and going to thailand quarterly (little who?)
rudy, paula: feminazi. gnarley. her best quality was that she went snowboarding every few days, so she wasn't around a lot. when she was, if you were an attractive female, you could bet she'd diss you, saying you were slutty... if an attractive guy, she'd call you a "swinging dick". 'nuff said.
they all resented us if we thought creatively. if we were scared or if we just didn't know what to do.
what a supportive group! :flame: :flame:
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Don't forget Kurt Mundorf- very cool, probably one of the coolest to work there, very laid back and not so "in your face" like everyone else.
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When I was there, there were some different people running it... does anyone know what happened to
Eric Melzer?
Neil? (forgot his last name, but he was really fat)
Gabe?
Those guys were very strange. I remember Craig Cass was pretty cool, and Paula Rudy was scary.
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I am interested in hearing the long detailed reason for Cascade's closing. Without revealing your identity can you share something that makes your story more believable. thanks.
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Its hard to remember much, but when I was there, there was:
Allgood:
Hardly ever saw him. Sat in forums sometimes. Saw him at the dining hall sometimes. Gave me the creeps. I think he was gay or something.
Eric Melzer
So could of been gay too or maybe just a petafile. Nah, I don't know. He was nice but to me, anyways, he was just a little creepy. But that may just be me. He had that house on campus by the baseball field right? I think he had dinners there sometimes and would invite the students sometimes, I most definately wasn't one. Oh yeah and he had that office by the tv with the stereo, the couch and that cross your eyes poster of the dolphins. Yeah I have weird memory for these visual things.
Craig Cass
I think he taught Econ. to me? He was in forums sometimes, but when I was there he was really only a teacher. We watched a Michael Moore movies, i remember. He was always really nice to me.
Art Tiles
I think he was my history teacher. He ran forums. Kinda reminded me of kermit the frog.
Kurt Mundorf:
Super cool and funny. He reminded me of the stoners at home. Who knows if he was or not... not like it matters anyways. But I remember that he left. I think he disagreed with the program or something. I can't really remember. I hope he didn't get fired, but I really think it was over him not agreeing with the program...????
Paula Rudy
Scary as all hell. Avioded her as much as possible. Always said, "Fuck you for that!" and things like "verbal diarreah" (sorry I dont know how to spel, is all I can remember.
I remember Carl
Weirdo, seriously. I heard some funky things about him when I was there. I dont know about him. He was nice to me, but I got weird vibes off of him. He had his house behind the girls dorms. He played music and was the coordinator of those infamous dances. Always wore those awful florescent shirts, like he was stuck in the 80's. And I do remember him going to thailand a lot.
Ok, now to think harder...
What was that school called when you were first there? I can't recall, and who was my counselor? I had 2, but the only one I remember was this old man that always wore these aviator type sunglasses.
I think this guy named Mike was my Middle school counselor, I wished I remembered his last name. He was really cool. I think he actually cared about the kids and I felt that he was "real" too.
Upper school counselor
- Joann
I didn't really like her for some reason. I think because she was a stickler for the rules. I think I know why, I think she faked being nice, or to me anyways.
To think even harder
There was that lady with the white streak in her hair and was into the whole indian thing, I cant remember her name though. She was nice.
Sorry I wish I could remember more but its been too long for me.
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Interesting observations of staff.. for the record...this IS Carl. Worked seven years at Cascade 92-99. I did live in the small house behind the girl's dorms..as for having "little girls" over at my house?? well, I guess if you count the Christmas visits that all students did to staff houses, or the several girls I hired as housecleaners I guess that would make it true.
I left because of continued "differences" I had with the "founders."
As for my "quarterly" visits to Thailand...I did make annual trips, and a few times twice a year. I have been sponsoring kids in Thailand since 1990 and I am currently living in Bangkok where I have a private practice as a Psychologist.
Never hurts to add a few facts to the story...
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Carl,
What differences did you have with the founders of Cascade? And do you think that had anything to do with it's closing?
Please respond.
I would really like to know!
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Carl,
If you don't feel comfortable responding to me on this site, you can e mail me at [email protected]
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if the cascade leaders are from cedu than i would find it hard to believe that there is anything honest about them except the fact that they are honest only to each other
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http://www.barton.edu/school-dept/education/mgordon.htm (http://www.barton.edu/school-dept/education/mgordon.htm)
Mark Gordon, the art teacher. Cool guy!! :razz:
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CHARNLEY!
If you read this, please get in touch with me.
Marc Podell
[email protected]
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Michael,
If you're out there, I sincerely hope you read this. I was one of your "problem children". We can chalk it up to many things; the environment in which I was raised, genetics, whatever. It is, however, terribly important for you to know that, even though I didn't finish the entire program at Cascade, the Celebrations and Workshops that I did attend were phenomenal in my physical, spiritual, and emotional development. After leaving Cascade against my Father's wishes, I attended a small private school in South Carolina, later attended college, joined the US Army at age 17, became productive, talented, and well-traveled. I stayed in the Army for 11 years and got out only to join the US Coast Guard. I have been doing this for about 4 and a half years now, and show no signs of slowing down. Not a day goes by that I don't act a certain way, think a certain way, or feel a certain emotion that connects me to the Cascade School that I attended from January of 1987 until August of 1988. You and I never got along and I think the only time I ever got along with DA was during her knitting class; I'm not sure she was used to me being quiet, which was one of our disconnects as she was (is, I assume) a very quiet and reserved person. Regardless, I miss the fact that I didn't Summit. I still maintain contact with Colby J., Grant P., Marc P., Leslie P., Neil W., and EVM. Through Leslie P. and Alex N. I have regained contact with many other Grads and made friends with many new folks as well. Cascade was a grand experience for me and, while you and I didn't have much interaction while I was there, you can take much credit for creating an environment which has shaped my adult life and continues to shape my life as I move into middle age. It is my understanding that you are going through troubleing times in your life, and I just want to say that I hope you move through and beyond them just as you taught all of us at Cascade to do. Yourself, Gabe, Sonny, Corey, Craig, Barb, Danielle, Neil, Roland, Steve...all of you can be more than proud at the things you accomplished and the gentle, loving, caring manner in which you accomplished them. My very best wishes to you.
Sincerely,
Clinton Marion Baxley
Camden, South Carolina (then)
Brunswick, Georgia (now)
United States Coast Guard
Multi-Mission Station
diveclint @ yahoo . com
The Cascade School 1987 - 1988
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Eric von Melzer: doing well and living in Southern California.
Neil Westen: doing well, retired, still married, living in Oregon.
Gabe Rodriguez: lost since leaving Cascade :???:
Craig Cass: doing well, as is wife Barb (from what I hear...I haven't talked to them).
Art The Dart Tilles: and wife Gayle are doing well and still living in Whitmore California.
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Carl,
I don't know if you remember me or not. It's Laura Balser. (I'm now Laura Allan, b/c yes! I'm married!). I found this link on Google. Wow! Seems like the shit hit the fan for one reason or another. But that's not what I'm writing for. I saw your post and thought it'd be great to touch base with you again. (and with any other ex-Cascadians out there). I'll give you a brief update: I've been married for 2 1/2 yrs and am living in Melbourne Australia. I'm working full time at a financial company but I'm hoping to get into the advertising industry - controlling the minds of the masses! What fun! lol. I'm heading back to the States for Christmas this year, so if anyone out there wants to get in touch, just email me. So, that's about it. Hey, Thailand's not too far from Australia - we should catch up! Well, that's it for me. Take care of yourself! Hope to hear from you! ([email protected])
Love,
Laura :razz:
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Gee, it would help if I could spell! Let's try that email addy one more time! [email protected]
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SRB -
I would have been in the graduating class of '98 as well. drop me an email sometime if you'd like to catch up. My email addy is [email protected]. And yes, my last name is different. :smile:
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Laura,
I Just emailed you..
-Carl
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This is Carl. I don't wish to air my differences in a public forum. I still take many good trhings from my seven years working there, mainly some life-long friendships with several former students.
It was important for me to leave because I found myself compromising my therapeutic beliefs and not completely standing for my values and principles. There were many good "counselors" who worked there, but the Emotional Growth School "Industry" is also a breeding ground for those who are either not qualified to work at other places or who are still working through their own "issues."
I will leave it at that...
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Ever thought about going into politics Carl? LMAO! Pretty good opinion/definition there... I agree with you from the layman's standpoint; the early years weren't nearly as turbulent as the latter years (at least it doesn't seem so) but we had our fair share of ups and downs back in 86,87, and 88. The bottom line is that I'm sorry to see the school close; it was great for me and I think it was great for some other people as well. There will always be folks who disagree with "messing with the minds" of youth, but Cascade did some great stuff for me--stuff I still use today--and I seriously doubt I'd be where I am today if it weren't for Cascade and some of the people I met there (and some of the people I connected with afterwards!--Angela, Stacey, etc).
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I suppose it would've helped for me to sign that last one.
Clint Baxley
Class of 89
diveclint @ yahoo . com
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Carl J-
This Alex K writing to say hello, class of 95. Glad to see your doing well.
Alex K
[email protected]
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A juicy tidbit... Heard from a former staff member (though not one there at the closing) that one night the remaining kids mutinied and went kind of wild (with what besides each other, I'd love to know...). Ended up with the girls spending the night in the boys' dorms or something like that. Let's hope they at least raided the store and grabbed a few ziplock bags of bootleg oreos and cheeze-its.
Vintage D'Art moment for those Tilles fans out there... watching Art ask the waitress at Cracker Barrel if they had any good local microbrews on tap. Yeah, sweet or unsweet, Art! Because the only brew you'll find at a Cracker Barrel, much less the one off I-40 in West Memphis, Arkansas, is iced tea.
Gotta say that Cascade still pops into my head quite a bit., and I am filled with ambivalence. (Wait, is that a thought or a feeling? Is that I talking or Me?) What a rare, weird experience it was! Where else could you spend one weekend in a transformed millhouse learning to balance your chakras at a winter solstice seminar taught by the dance teacher and then another weekend be on a mattress on that same floor being coached through primal scream therapy to the lesser-known tunes of John Lennon?
Yes, I got a lot of good out of it, but left with some scars too. But blunt tools usually leave the biggest scars, especially with the kind of surgery they were trying to perform. No license but lots of good intentions. Overall though, I'm glad I went. At the very least, I got some amazing stories out of it, not a lovely coordinating set of Cascade Olympics tank tops in bright yellow, orange, and green. Let me tell you, I'm a Shinin' Star for You to See!
Meriwether
86-89
[email protected]
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Whoops, that last part was supposed to read "amazing stories, NOT TO MENTION a lovely matching set of Olympics shirts, blah blah blah."
Yes, I'm still anal.
Would love to hear from anyone who remembers this Southern Belle from Hell.
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I graduated from Cascade in 2002. Anyone who was there between 00-02 needs to email me. VisionGraphics2 at aol.com
M. Cohn
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About Carl J, I can attest that I was one of his housecleaners in 93-94 period, along with another girl I know personally. Also attended a few X-mas parties at his house - I have nothing to bad to say about this man - no funky stuff at all, very good person. Don't beleive everything you read. Lori
BTW - someone was looking for a counselors name, it was Vickie who had the white stread, and she lived with Patty E. for a time
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Hi Lori,
Thanks for the kind words.. I still have a great photo of you and Chris K, Ashley P, Matt M, etc all making "fish lips" at my house.
People ask me what all the faces are about and I tell them it was part of a "deprogramming" LOL..
Are you still in France??
-Carl
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i was at cascade in 2003 but got kicked out about 8 months before it closed. why did it close? and what is all this about michael allgood being a child molester. even though i wouldnt doubt it i dont remember seeing him around school at all. wait, who is this anyway? email me [email protected]
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i dont know who this is but i was at cascade around the time before it closed and would like to know y u think it did.
[email protected]
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I graduated in 2002, what happened,
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Hello Lori, Carl and anyone else that went to Cascade in '01 to '04. I have been out of touch for quite some time and heard from my parents that the school closed. Whatever the reason, I am sorry to hear that it is no longer around.
I took many good things from the school and it helped me quite a bit. A few months after I left I found myself in some trouble with the law. I guess I was not channeling my sales skills in the right area, but that has all gone behind me. I was able to change my life around with the things I learned at this school in a very short time and have become quite successful in my endeavors in my career and social life. I have created wealth for myself in the financial sector and am now starting to develop an upscale residential subdivision on the side. We shall see where that takes me. I would love to hear from anyone out there that I went to school with especially Ann V, Alan C, JP G, Zach W. and if anyone knows how to get a hold of Vicki and Patti, I would love to hear how they are doing.
Feel free to email me at [email protected]
Sincerely,
Owen Gade
Class of '04
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So in name of boredom I googled Cascade and here I am. Wow. A lot of mixed emotions out there. Well, I have to say, I decided to save my good memories and dispose of the not so good. I attended Cascade for '97-'99 and I truly think it saved my life. I am very thankful to have gone there and my life has just gotten better since. Yes, there are many things about the school that I did not care for but nothing that has ruined my life or traumatized me. I am curious to know why it closed though and what happened to the kids that had to leave. Also, in response to an earlier post, yes Paris Hilton did attend Cascade, while I was there, and one of my friends lived in her wing and found her hair extensions behind the toilet...eek!
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I meant Class of '94. Not really sure what I was thinking except that I must have been thinking about the new year of 2005.
Owen Gade
Class of 1994
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CascadeSurvivors/ (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CascadeSurvivors/)
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This is from one of the "hated" parents that paid $100K for my daughter Stephanie to attend Cascade (96-98). The school kept her alive and she got her HS degree. She's still doing well, got her AS and working toward entering pharmacy school. She's high spirited and still has her own way of living life but would she be at this point if Cascade wasn't there? I wonder.
I remember Carl very well. He was one of Steph's favorites. Thanks again to you Carl and best wishes for the future.
glenk
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any users on this board who were at Cascade from 92-94 era please e-mail me - I'd like to talk about our shared experiences. A lot of people from this era are not on the yahoo group - i miss you all ! [email protected]
- Lori Funk
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Hi Carl and you're welcome - yes I'm still in France, doing the same old job while looking for something better - my son is doing great - 17mo now - I can't describe how wonderful it is to be a mother ! I read your post on yahoo groups about the tsunami events - bravo to you for helping people through such a difficult grief, loosing a child ! My heart goes out to anyone who lost a loved one in this catastrophe
- Lori
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Hi,
I am glad to hear Steph is doing well. Please let her know I would love to hear from her!!
-Carl
[email protected]
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[ This Message was edited by: wiseup on 2005-04-12 17:44 ]
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can you elaberate on what all that meant?
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i went to cascade and agree...its a screwed up place and we were all paychecks...parents...i beg you...DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS TO THESE PLACES...you have no idea who these people are and what they are putting in your kids heads...they snow you by having you talk to kids who have been damaged and then have been taken advantage of emotionally and used them to promote these ridiculously expensive schools...very few of these kids go on to be successful. I watched many of my peers succumb to drugs, prostitution, and suicide after leaving cascade...the kids are also punished if they do not conform to the program and act like they love it...their contact with you is also monitered...calls are listened to...letters read...etc.
If you made any kind of noise they made your life hell...if you sent your kids there and realize what a mistake it was you should sue the crap out of those theifs...
there are a few staff that believe they are doing the right thing...but really i don't think any of it really sits well with them...look at the turnover in staff...all the great counslers i knew there all left...or were fired...
michel allgood and several of the other head staff formed very exclusive cliques...they befriended the very attractive kids and would have them over for dinner,or let them break the rules, or give them special privledges...it was all shrouded in secrecy...will i was there two boys were molested by a counsler...this is not gossip but fact...
i could go on for days about incident after incident...
I spent 2 1/2 years there and graduated around 97
i have struggled to get my head around what happened there and wish every day i had been strong enough to do something diffent back then...but hey, i was just a child, and people shouldn't do this to children
A
ps...carl is a good guy
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julie ponders...ex cascade counsler...now in jail for murder
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_76881156 (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_4_25/ai_76881156)
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She was my counselor. I broke this story to the cascadesurvivors group on yahoo.
She is in jail for reckless child endangerment, but did kill a girl while "rebirthing" her.
They tied her up in a blanket and piled pillows on top of her, along with a few adults on top. This lasted for hours and the girl died in her own feces and vomit.
You can find the whole transcript of the event, as it was videotaped.
I remember Julie Ponder whispering shit in my ear during the truth. It pissed me off since she was distant and didn't know me well.
When I reaf the transcript of the murder of this girl, I hear Julies raspy cigarette-smoking New Agey voice in my head.
sickening. . .
Tommy O
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Hi everyone. I have to say that all of this takes me by surprise. I graduated in 98, and I can't say that I completely agree with the program, but it saved my life. I've had plenty of ups and downs in the last 5 years, but I realize that I am a much stronger person because of all that crap that goes on there. Also, my relationships with other people are deeper because I understand so much that people go through without having been through it myself. True, there have been many times that I've cursed the school and my parents for taking away 2 years of my life, and when I remember life there the memories are generally bad. Who really enjoys getting yelled at three times a week in forums or standing up in front of a room full of people and telling them all the things you hate about yourself? And thinking about my "inner child" is somewhat embarrassing too, oh yeah and negative statements and all that workshop stuff..
Forgive me for rambling. My point is, Cascade was a long long time ago, and even though it sucked, I am grateful for the strength and understanding of life that I got from it.
Oh yeah, I don't know what all this talk about Carl being a predator or whatever, but I was one of his favorites and he never gave me any reason to doubt that he's an amazing person.
Kurt Mundorff (Meandork!) if you're out there, you rock.
-Stephanie, Class of 98
[email protected]
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Thanks for the kind words KimmySu (do you even remember that I called you that?)
There certainly were some predatory people working at Cascade. Some simply "disappeared" when there activities were discovered, while others continued to abuse their positions to the "bitter end."
I am a very affectionate person; always have been and always will be. However, I can sleep at night because I know I have never been physically inappropriate with anyone in my life. My affection was always displayed very publicly. It saddens me that a few people who thought I was an asshole (I always claimed I was an asshole in recovery) threw out those allegations because they knew it was the most hurtful thing they could throw.
Many things at Cascade were beneficial to some students, and many things were abusive and there were people working there who should not have been allowed to get within 100 yards of an adolescent.
That being said, there comes a time when it truly is a time to move on. I know there were times when I was verbally "aggressive" and said things to students I would cringe at today if they came out of my mouth. To those on the receiving end I have offered my apologies. There is nothing more I can offer except to say that my motives were always to help young people cut through to the best parts of themselves. There was never an intent to abuse power.
For what it's worth, when I chose to leave the school six years ago after working there seven years, I returned a few months later to keep a promise to a few students to be there when they came out of their Symposium Workshop. A few weeks later I was told that a certain founder of the school had walked into a Counselor meeting to inform everyone that I was "banned" from the school and that no students could continue to have contact with me because I had allegedly told a student they should leave the school.
I guess I am guilty as charged on some level. I did have a conversation with an 18-year-old who had six months to go until graduation but had been accepted into a major University. She was weighing the pros and cons of leaving Cascade to enter college rather than waiting an extra year to begin. I think I actually dared to tell her that she needed to weigh everything and then make a decision for herself.
She asked me if I felt her life would be ruined if she did not complete the program and go through the Symposium. I laughed and told her there was value in going through the experience but that were no Gods waiting to deliver their seal of approval of her at the end of the Workshop or at graduation.
Apparently she shared that conversation with her "counselor" and it eventualy reached the exalted one.
Heresy!
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carl...you were the only one who took kids in no matter hat the looked like...what they put off...purely cause you believed in them...thamks
A
Aimee remember me?
why were you part of this mess?
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ps
sooo glad you are safe in thailand
A
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Is this "THE" Aimee??
Head???
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the one and only!
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i would like to know.
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Well Ms Aimee "Head" E.
It is so good to know you are out there somewhere and at least in electronic reach of me. I would love to hear how you are doing! Are you in San Francisco, New York? or somewhere more exotic!
You can email me direct at [email protected]
Hugs,
Snarl
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get a username so i can send you private messages anonymous. tell us about michael allgood and his crazy wives. tell us about the abusive staff and tell us how they get kids to think they are good people. that mindfuck has been going on since they started the scam/extortion racket called "emotional growth"
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I am a cascade graduate from '88. I am sooo-o glad this school is closed. It was the weirdest most traumatic experience I ever went through. Has anyone ever tried to sue them for abuse? Some of the things they made me do in those workshops still make me want to puke. I fake cried my way through most of the raps and workshops just to get the unprofessional staff off my back. I remember seeing Michael Allgood laying on the ground with his favorites all piled around him (only boys) looking all smug. The same with Eric Meltzer and his girls (perv). The only staff I could relate to was cory, GAbe and TY. I'm only in touch with 1 person from that school. It took me a few years to get my bearings back into real life. I would never send my children to a school like that. S.Z
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One thing you need to know about allgood is that he believes the ends jusfifies the means. he believes he is always right and therefore it is okay to embezzle from parents and state's because after all being molested by him is better than being molested by some inmate and hey he has a nice suv to drive as well. allgood does not care about kids and that "loyalty" crap he puts out is a lie. Allgood has a vendetta against all the kids he molested who now realize that he is a con man and the "school" was just a front to molest boys and brainwash girls to believe his lies. the lie and twisting of the truth done by him and others is that it is the kids who have a vendetta against them. the truth is that it is the other way around. sociopaths believe their own lies [ This Message was edited by: iknowcedulies on 2005-04-12 17:52 ]
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Hey Carl, I was wondering did you know about counselors such as Dan Berman and Scott Abbott molesting kids while he was there? Did you say anything? Did anyone in the staff know. It seems pretty odd that the student know more about this than the counselors.... or was it just deemed consensual and therefore not perverted?
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now i have a username
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iknowcedulies: check your private msgs
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[ This Message was edited by: iknowcedulies on 2005-04-12 17:54 ]
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February 12, 2005 Flagler woman helps families break cult grip
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnlin (http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnlin)
e/News/Headlines/03NewsHEAD02021205.htm
By DONNA CALLEA, Staff Writer, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida
(FLAGLER BEACH -- Carol Giambalvo looks like a typical, active
61-year-old grandmother...
...And although heart surgery in 1999 ended her days of traveling
cross-country to lead interventions to extricate members from cults,
she remains a leading force in the controversial anti-cult movement.
Giambalvo advocates for ethical standards for professionals working to
free people from cults. Abductions and forced de-programmings were
never her style.
"The ends don't justify the means," says Giambalvo, who's been
involved in more than 200 successful voluntary interventions from
1984-99.
Laura Weber believes Giambalvo saved her life...
...For Weber, now a mental health counselor at a rehabilitation
treatment facility in Ohio, becoming indoctrinated was a gradual
process...
...Giambalvo said people "absolutely do not join cults. What they join
is something that looks wonderful..)
---
You will also find a link to the news item above located at
http://www.cultsoncampus.com (http://www.cultsoncampus.com)
---
Reginald Greene, Webmaster
http://www.CultsOnCampus.com (http://www.CultsOnCampus.com)
News on the International Church of Christ (ICOC), the topic of cults
and high-pressure groups on campus.
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When I was hired as a weekend counselor in 1994 I was so stoked. They were actually going to pay me to play Hacky Sack, lead hikes, chop wood, and generally entertain a bunch of very cool kids not too distant in age from myself.
I had demons of my own that needed to be left behind, and Cascade offered me a great place to regroup.
On my first day, in the dining hall, an older kid asked me if I was a psychologist. I said "no," he said, "good."
That moment motivated me for the next 3 1/2 years. I never fully bought into the program. And I caught a bunch of heat for it. But at the same time I was one of the most respected staffers precisely BECAUSE I didn't buy into the the thing 100%.
I did what I did because I cared. Some of my kids will rememer me telling them, "Hey, I ain't perfect, none of these people are. Life's a bitch and here's what I can do to help you avoid hitting some of the speedbumps along the way. That's about it."
My forums were perrenial favorites because I almost never went in with an agenda. If you wanted to work, fine. If no one had anything to do or say, I'd tell jokes and poke fun until someone had something worth talking about. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun while you're doign tough work.
I still approach life that way.
Now, for the good part. Life at Cascade was grueling. It was as physically and emotionally draining on me as it was my kids. It's not work you left behind at the end of the day. We had to work our shit out on our own and that often meant heavy binge drinking. It was hard, man sometimes it was hard.
I was 23 when I was hired. Oftentimes I was treated by my bosses like one of their kids. I actually was threatened with bans once or twice (remember that Carl?). Bjerke told my jeans were imagey one time. I can laugh at this stuff now, because it really doesn't matter and never really did.
We'd fret and fume over stupid administrative decisions and we'd go ahead and do it our way. We were smart enough to know how to rock the boat just enough without tipping it over and falling out of it.
There was a time or two when I thought my brain was going to explode. When you're overwhelmed you seek out advice, right? Well after trying once or twice, I learned not to trust the founders of the school with my soul. I worked for them, they paid me, I did a good job, and that was it. I'm not comfortable going into detail about it, but I'd be happy to share my point of view if you feel like listening some time. ([email protected])
Us young punks had to earn our respect and we did it by being good counselors. Treating our kids with dignity, not blindly following inane directions and NEVER, EVER compromising our standards. That meant establishing good physical boundaries on-campus and not compromising our values off-campus. Anyone surprised that the place started to change for the worse when me, Mundorff, Mahoney and others quit?
Anyhow... that's a long enough rant. I'm all fired up now and going to kick one of my old students ass in poker at the bar around the corner.
It's been nice finding you all here, and I wish you didn't have to carry so many painful memories. I prefer to dwell on the highlights, like watching the look in a kids face after running 5 miles at the end of their trek, or seeing a mean, nasty, snotfaced, angry young boy learn the simple pleasure of flying a kite, or watching a tiny young girl race to the top of the climbing wall on her first try and then demand to do it again, or sitting with friends and watching a yearling Osprey learn to fish in the pond, or planting 10 acres of Shasta Daisies.
I got a ton of touchy-feely moments like those and THAT'S the stuff I hang on to. Try it sometime. You'll feel better once you do.
Don't worry, karma will catch up to the assholes who earned it, and bitchslap them like an eight-armed Hindu goddess. (laugh all you want... you know I'm right)
:cool: Peas y'all,
"Blondie"
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I was only aware of the molestations after the staff involved were gone. To my knowledge none were ever prosecuted nor even reported. That was disgraceful...
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Hey I was at Cascade when it shut down, were you?
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Hey I was at Cascade when it shut down. was anyone else here? I am doing a research project on it and came across this site. My email is [email protected] Thanks
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Hey i was at cascade till the end too LOL
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hey was anybody from here when the school shut down.
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I was there 15 months..Weird as hell. You may remember me as the kid that ran off every day, and was on freaking dishes all day every day. bans all that crap. Wow this brings back weird things to my head....hope you guys are well...I still have prune hands from all those damn pots and pans. :lol:
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duh...from above post
Scott Nettleton
[email protected]
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This is so weird. Was this school a part of NAMBLA or what??? I hope all the kids that were hurt in any way report the counselors.
In response to Carl's housecleanings: I cleaned Carl's house- he was never there and we just listened to cheezy music and cleaned- it was kinda fun. He never did anything inappropriate and always seemed sincere.
Carl, Lori, Owen and anyone else reading this from 92-94- what is going on? And anyone who doesn't know me, but wants to share the truth with me, email me at [email protected]. thanks.
Ann V. 92-94
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Hi. I am Ann's mom, and feel quite devastated and overwhelmed by all this information. I feel very lucky that my daughter was not harmed at Cascade and has gone on to live a wonderful life. She's an amazing adult, loving mom and a warm caring daughter! I always felt Cascade saved her life, and now am particularly grateful that Carl was her counselor! I feel so badly for the students who were hurt there, and really encourage them to pursue justice!!! So that you all can understand the parents' point of view, we thoroughly researched our choice of Cascade School. When one has an adolescent who is ruining his/her life, it is a very desparate and vulnerable time! I hope none of you ever experience the anguish of a parent for a child in need of help that the family cannot provide! There is a need for schools that help, so all of you have an opportunity now to help others and protect them from abusers that take advantage of people in need of help! To those of you who are doing well, congratulations! To those of you still suffering, get professional help, get well...don't let the bastards ruin your lives!!! bv
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Greetings to both you and Ann. This is Carl.I am so glad that I left when I did. I questioned some of the things that were occuring at the time. Within three months of my departure, after working there for more than seven years, I was "banned" from having further contact with students there by Michael. I am so happy to be a therapist now and what I did learn while working at Cascade I learned from the students and their families. It was such a pleasure working with you Ann and watching you emerge from your shyness and discover your power. I remember the first time I fell out of favor with "administration." It was during a discussion where one of the founders was telling me we had a responsibililty to help female students find their "little girl." My response was something along the lines of, "I thought our job was to empower them to become women."
I still remember the dead silence and the looks I received!
By the way Ann, I still proudly display the photo of the "fish lips" during your holiday visit to my home, along with Owen, Lori, Asley, John Paul, Matthew and Chris etc.
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Hi Carl...a's mom again...is anyone looking into legal recourse for all the abuses? I really hope so and encourage it...is there any way i can help? You would be so proud of A now! b
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Hi. I believe several cases were settled out of court. Anything beyond that would be speculation and I don't want to get into the "rumor mill." I am sure many things went on there that I did not know about. I am just glad I left when I did.
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Carl you are so full of it. You can play at being friends, but actions speak louder than words. Too bad you can't maintain a friendship if your life depended on it. Sad that you are trying to defend such a false image. Hope Hell has a nice warm spot reserved just for you.
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Interesting...I have maintained friendships with anyone interested, even from the other side of the world. Perhaps you could come out from under anonymity and talk in specifics...
Jerry Springer lol...I have been told that I resemble Freddy Kruger at worse..but never Jerry :wink:
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true i know of 2 people that were molested there and i was treated bad there also paula rudy called me a "fucking cunt" im a pretty tough dude but those forums and workshops and words the counselors made up were brainwashing and that is a scientific fact.dan berman also molested that skater kid dave.
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i am a survivor too got kicked out ant
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so true i was there in 92-93
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what happened to the molestors? were they prosecuted?
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i think andy od at a rave after graduating actually he did i think dan berman was molesting him i herd dan molested that skater kid david around the time i got kicked out in 83 for having a radio and other shit i was there like 18 months when the pusses copped out on me i did my time and never cried. till they told me my parents were 1/2 hr away to pick me up and that i was expelled they made sure all the kids could see me in that room by the cubbies by the way paula rudy has started her whole new cascade thing i remember things she said in fromt of 12 yr olds that was unacceptable. the man who pulled through Anthony hi bill,winston melcher, rafael sequeros jr, barbara chan ,amanda weinberg, shean mechelary ,its anthony the one that read in the library trying to reprogram my brain.ps when Allgood yelled at the whole school for picking open a lock and distroying thost class disks it was me ha ha i was in a workshop though probally would have preferred the bullshit speach.Anthony
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I was there from april 18 2003 to the end in early January. I don't know about any molestation by any staff, but I would believe it if either Mike Allgood or Eric Von Melzer(not his real name by the way) were implicated. As admissions declined more and more kids were breaking the rules and getting expelled. This leaked to the ed consultants who began recommending other programs. By the time the family graduated in December 2003, there were less than 50 kids there. Compare this to the 115 or so who were there when I got there. I believe that the school would have closed at some point in 2004, but me and the majority of the students simply could not put up with their B.S. that long. We staged a mass refusal or sit down in which we all refused to go to forums or follow the rest of their rules. After many of my friends were kicked out and I believed I would be next. My parents told me that if I continued to refuse and was expelled, I would go to another Therapuetic Boarding school. I decided that the school would probably close down soon anyways and I had a better chance of getting home early if I stopped refusing and waited. I was right. After the many expulsions resulting from the refusal, there were only about 20 or so kids left. At this point, there was much more staff than kids and it was obviously doomed to bankrupcy. They finally pulled us out of school for a general meeting in which they anounced Cascade was closing. I remained there for about a week while my parents made arrangments to send me to North West Academy, a CEDU school in Idaho. I graduated from NWA in August 2004. CEDU anounced its complete closure today, march 25 2005. I beleive all of the scandalous info on Cascade and would like it if anyone would post more info about Allgood and Eric Von Melzer's shady past. I hope this helps those of you struggling to understand Cascade's closure. I still feel sad and depressed when I think of the place. Also, what up Lav, this is Will Hinman. I led the refusal!!!
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My name is Will and I led the rebellion.
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will i went to cascade in and will at least someone had leadership qualities. in 93 when i was there everyone was brainwashed they never got to me though.
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I am reading all of this with mixed feelings. When I was there from 1986-1988, Cascade was weird, but it did serve it's purposes. I never really felt as though I fit in there, I wasn't constantly on bans and dishes, and I wasn't any of the "staff favorites." I remember feeling a twinge of discomfort about Michael Allgood, and a few others, but have to say that there were some people there that made it all tolerable, ie: the Tilles', Craig and Barb Cass...
I've been on the Cascade Survivor's site on Yahoo, whatever. I really would like to talk to only a few people who were around when I was. You know who you are.
I'm the girl from Merv Meier's family, Discovery, who put Pine Sol in her hair to "poof" it up. I played piano when I was allowed to. And other than that, I was pretty forgetable.
I'm alive and well in southern Arizona.
Deb McQueen (Lance)
[email protected]
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My son, Marshall White, was a student at Cascade from 89 to 91. If any of you remember him and would like to get in touch, please email me at m underscore w underscore white at comcast dot net. I think he would like to hear from some folks--he's still in a pretty dark place in some parts of his life.
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I would like to know what happened. I guess that I found out pretty late. Anyway I would like to know why Cascade closed...I attended almost ten years ago, and didn't graduate (I was pulled after a year and a half)--but it was the most amazing experience of my life. There seems to be a lot of hatred towards Cascade from what I read, what is that all about?
Also, who is this coming from? If not your name, then are you previous faculty or student?
Thanks for your time.
-Neaner
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Mark Gordon the art teacher was a cool guy!! :grin:
Thanks for remembering! I couldn't remember until you said it.
I loved taking art with him.
-Neaner
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[ This Message was edited by: iknowcedulies on 2005-04-15 12:47 ][ This Message was edited by: iknowcedulies on 2005-04-15 12:47 ]
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Wow,
iKNOWceduLIES,
the name says it all.
How rediculous are YOU right now?
-Neaner
Adult
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was anyone there when "slide" drained the pond? I think it was probably in '99 mabye '98. Slide was in my family and he "accidently" compleley drained the pond. It was, to this day, the funniest and stupudist thing I ever saw. Imagine the pond with no water in it and dead fish everywhere, he got railed for months.
I got kicked out before the symposium when the "underground" was busted because a leadership student who was about to graduate unexpectively coped out. I knew I was expelled and it didn't matter because everyone I was dirty with( a commitie head and a buch of dormheads) were already getting kicked out to so I turned in a full cop out list (about 40 pages long) for shits and giggles. I think the members of the "underground" probably broke almost every "agreement" we were forced to agree to. Paula and some of the other shady counselor's never trusted me, but I still had clout at that place, it was a very strange double life.
Cascade sucked in a lot of ways, but it was just another experience that I went through that lead to the person I am today. Like any other experience I do not regret going through it, although I wanted out the whole time. I do, however, feel bad for the people in my family who did not handle it well and are now dead or on the streets. Especially one girl who was like Cascade's poster child graduate who turned back to her prior life style and was killed shortly after graduating, she was probably the sweetest girl I have ever met, she was kind and vulnerable and I think Cascade contributed to her death.
Mary and Jackie were good counselors and good people, so was lon(I forget how to spell his name, it is pronounced like lawn) he left in 99'.
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Cascade Survivor's seem to think that because the counselors there treated them well that there is no way they could have mistreated or abused anyone else. One thing about Cascade is that those who run it treat those who they like very well and those they do not the opposite. When those who are not treated well and abused by Cascade open up about it they are called losers and told they need medication. Cascade's agenda was "we don't believe in psychiatry". many cascade alumni have this attitude that because the staff at cascade were there for them in their time of need that therefore they treated others the same. Sadly, what these self-absorbed alumni think is dead wrong. Cascade counselors treated many as just something to abuse and hold until they were done abusing them. They had no regard for the trauma they inflicted and would terrorize students who talked about the abuse and even encourage others to harm them. It is no coincidence that many were found suicidal or suicides. Many former students are so selfish that they cannot understand that many were harmed by cascade and all they can do is blame the victims of cascade abuse. it is a destructive cult that only seems to care about those who survive and disregard those who are left traumatized.
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Deceased Erolless yeilds Decreased Enrollment. Classic "Addition by Subtraction."
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I was part of the Neil, Gabe, Allgood, Cass, the beginning of Cascade in 84-85. Gosh, that long ago. It sounds like some people are really upset with the school. Is there a lawsuit, were people molested? I don't know, but I'm surprised (or maybe not) that the school closed. [email protected]
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i was there when dan berman was kicked out for molesting boys and i remember he was head of my peer gorup which was in middle school at the time he had been threatening to hold me back for lack of growth - thank god i am a girl! that guy always seemed really sketchy and weird to me but so did some other people. NOT CARL!!!
i hated it that the most crule and manipulative people, at least in my peer goup, were the most rewarded with priviliges that pretty much invalidated the whole program for me. i kind of gave up when all of my friends got kicked out over christmas one year.
i was just a baby when i was sent to cascade i was 14 and i really had not left home before but i was leaving a terribly abusive situation at school and home that i never even talked about when i was at cascade. i really couldn't trust anyone there and i feel like i was emotionally/verbally abused by some people at that school. i really needed someone to be gentle and kind to me but i didn't get that at cascade.
also i think that for a school that supposeadly didn't support medication they sure drugged the shit out of me. i got in trouble for "refusing" my meds, i was WAY over medicated and when i would try to get off of them i would have massive anger problems and self-distructive problems. then this would lead counselors and Dr. Fisher (who is a sweet man and i think he meant well) to strongly encourage me to take meds again. it's now well-documented that you can't give anti-depressants to young teenagers, especially not zoloft, especially not in large quantities, and particularly if the kid responds to the medication by having breakdowns, rage, and thoughts of suicide. now i almost never take any kind of medication, not even advil and asside from a deep-seeded fear of therapy i am a fairly healthy person.
:skull:
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This is Melissa Jacobs I am here i Graduated in 2003 from Cascade last i heard the Casses were still living up in Whitmore and eric Meltzer left the school shortly after i got there. The real truth is and most staff will tell you the same is that it appears that Michael allgood purposly ran the school
into the ground and he took alot of peoples money with him. I had heard that some paretns had paid months tuition in advance and they haddent gotten it back. George Rogers who was in charge of beginning school had asked if it was going to be shut down and he was assured it wasnt but that was a lie. As soon as Michael allgood took over for Jack culotta the headmaster when i was there (he left after 9/11 and i dont kno why he was great)the ed consultants really stopped reffering so many poeple and im assuming either they didnt like Michael or they liked Jack alot and didnt think that Michael was a very good headmaster. To be very honest i never knew him becasue he was rarely ever around. When jack was there he was always around doing meetings in the house calling out forums and being very close and in touch with all the kids there he was very involved and determined u could tell that he loved helping us. Currently my mom is working with a lawyer in redding to help with a lawsuit against michael allgood i for one sure hopes she reems him especially if he really did run that school into the ground and if what i had heard about him doing so is true i hope she gets him good. Its all really sad tho because to be blunt that school really saved my life and help get my family back on track.
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yes paris was there for like a week
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Paris Hilton went to Cascade Linda McCokey moved her in
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Barbara is it you??
-a former millhouse dormie
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hey everyone, for those of you who knew me, it's walter craigie
i was pulled from cascade at the end of the 03 summer before the school's closing in january 04.
personally, i think all of this conspiracy crap about michael allgood setting us up teh bomb is quite retarded. i cant think of anything any of the administration could have possibly gained from a school closure.
i talked to barb and craig kass a few times after i left and after the closing, and they were both pretty torn up about it, trying to figure out what they were going to do next.
as far as reasons for the closing, it's not any more complex or sinister than people not sending as many kids away. also, the backbone of kids holding each other accountable broke. it got to a point where there was an underground doing bad shit all the time and nobody was willing to do anything about it. weed was smoked in the dorms, people broke into the dining hall repeatedly, kids sneaking out for fuck sessions, etc. the separation between kids and counselors grew and grew, with them giving admonishments about our behavior and the kids giving the middle finger back. so many kids were kicked out and pulled. i suppose the parents pulling their kids just got the feel that the place was rotting a little bit.
anyways, for a personal summary of cascade, i had a good time and made wonderful friends. everybody who bitches about it being hell and whatnot is a fucking pussy. i had some of the best matches of chess and axis & allies i will ever have. i mean sure, plenty sucked some major ass, but hell there's plenty of shit that sucks some major ass right now with rent and car payments. life! ahhh.
seeya,
walter
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WAlter, its Melissa Jacobs, what you said for the most part is true but when Michael Algood took over alot of Educational consultants didnt like him or the way he wasnt involved with the school and all of the referrals from the Ed consultants dried up. I do agree that there was a huge underground thing going on thats for damn sure and there wasnt alot of integrity either but you have to want to change and for those who did the program worked but for those who didnt want the change it didnt work becasue they didnt want to accept the help from the staff. Cascade saved me and my family and fo those who say it didnt work is bullshit. You had to want the change in your own life. I firmly believe that because Michael took over and that there was a big underground and lack of integrity that that is the reason for Cascade shutting down.
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Its Melissa again, I do want to make it clear though that I honestly believe that all the other staff wanted to keep Cascade alive. I really believe that Barb, Craig, and all the other counselors loved what they did. I dont believe that they wanted the school to shut down. They pretty much based their lives around the school it wasnt just a job for the counselors it was a part of their everyday lives they grew to love us like we were apart of thier families and essentially thier kids. I truly believe that poeple like Barb, Craig, Jon kerr, Peter Reitz, Doreen DeRoss, Carla, Mary, the Erics, and all the other staff and counselors loved us deeply. But i do believe that the reason the school shut down was ultimatly one way or the other because of Michael whether he wanted it to close or not.
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hey melissa... Have you heard from any of the staff since graduation? I know some of them went over to Carlbrook in VA (Jeff Moore, Mathew L., Scott Foran) but otherwise I don't know what happened to anyone....
By the way, Props for sticking up for the school. I mean you went through hell there and came out a really amazing person. I think you are a real example of how the school tried to help people. The place had A LOT of problems but essentially it was there to help and a lot of us desperately needed some help in our lives. I'm really mixed on my own experience there and have struggled like crazy in the 2 years since graduating, but no one can deny the amazing experiences we had at that place. Smoosh piles just don't happen in the real world.
Anyway.... I think its good the school closed because it was in such awful shape and probably doing more harm than good but people lets not take all our bitterness and anger out on the place.
Celia 01-03
[email protected]
anyone feel free to email me with comments or whatever....
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hey its walter again
heh what a quirky way to get in touch with you two again.
hows life?
i had a real good senior year at a regular boarding school after leaving, but when i went to college i kind of went off the deep end. smoked way too much weed and didnt do any work. i came back home to richmond on academic suspension and took up a full time job as a painter. i quit smoking trees, and actually found myself a really kick ass girlfriend.
id say my head's on my shoulders again, which is spiffy.
i hope things are going well for you two too.
seeya around,
walter
ps. i hope my first post wasnt taken as me bashing cascade...? regardless of things i hated and loved, its something i would never want to erase, and i have the most difficult time ever trying to share it with anyone not in the "club"
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walter? walter craigy?
if its you...im me at thebloodpotato or whatever...it's me scott laver
anyways...anyone else who reads this contact me on aim...thebloodpotato
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and now I have a screen thingy
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cascade did nothing for me...I came home...now I love drugs, and my old friends left me because I was gone so long and other things. I say it brought everyone to a standard and the standard wasn't my parents...because they're kicking me out when I'm seventeen
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Hello,
I never went to Cascade, but I had several friends that did. A group of you guys started going to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado in 94-95. That's where I met you, this is Chachi for those that remember. Someone in this forum asked "Where is Sean McLarry?"(fall '04)... well, I was the last person to talk to him. If you would like to talk to me about it, you can reach me at http://www.guygrand.com (http://www.guygrand.com) under the roots icon. Otherwise, is Kevin out there from the Fort?
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http://www.cascadeschool.net/ (http://www.cascadeschool.net/)
check it out all you crazy devoted sheep
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huh the floorplans sure dont ring a bell.
i wonder how much they're expecting to sell the school for. i wonder if anyone will really buy it.
waltdiggity
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I read through all 15 pages of these posts. I left in 2000, but my graduation ceremony was in 2001. My name is Dee, anyone remember me? I don't think I made that much of an impact, I wasn't any counselor's favorite and I was only 14 when I came to the school. It really bothers me to hear all of the nasty things that you all have to say about the school. I admit, I hated cascade when I was there, I didn't have many friends and I didn't feel like I belonged. BUT I think the program was good and helped a lot of people (the ones who wanted to be helped). I am currently in college with James and Robby. I am also in the SC army national guard (use to be active ARMY. When I first came home to sc, my parents put me in a private school (just like cascade told them to). I didn't make any friends, because I was more mature and "different" than everyone else. I was miserable. I went to the library for lunch everyday, in order to stay away from people who would give me a hard time. Never had a bf or went to the prom or anything. 3 days before I turned 17 I dropped out of school and ran away to charleston, sc. I called cascade a bit and talked to a counselor named frank. I got into drugs (name it I did it). Then something came over me and I decided to join the army. I straightened out my life and now I am doing well. Even though I think cascade didn't set me up for life outside of its protective walls, I think it did help me a lot. Even if it wasn't the best theraputic program in the world, or the counselors weren't all "the best", I still think that you all had good memories there. Think about the olypics, COTA, those funny store commercials. Think about after being bashed in forums, you came out into the arms of your big brother and sister. Think about being able to smush with a friend when you felt like the world was crashing down. Think about those games of chess or spades that you couldn't wait to play after cleaning all saturday morning. Think about how weird those workshops were, and even though you may have felt they were bs, when you came out to have the whole house great you with your success...and how good it felt! Think about how you had a shitty day at school and when you came to your cubby, you saw a cubby sign that a friend took tons of time to make you! I really miss cascade, my heart dropped when I saw that virtual tour and all the memories came back. Anyone who bashes cascade for being a terrible place needs to be slapped. Cascade gave you good/bad memories and contributed to what you are today. Quit whining about how terrible you think it was, and LIVE!
OK, im done rambling...anyone who wants to talk to me, email me at [email protected]
PS. Carl, I remember you and we didn't chat much, but you were always nice to me. ANYONE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO STEVE HARGIS-BULLIN? I really liked him and he all of a sudden dissappeared without saying good bye or anything! I heard in another chat board that he was a part of some underground thing that went wrong. :/ I'm skeptical, anyone who knows what happened, contact me please!
-Dee
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Here is the link for the myspace group. I like it a lot better than the yahoo group, just because more people who went during my time are on it and we post funny memories and have actual discussions, instead of bitterly bash cascade.
Enjoy,
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?So ... 40&forum=9 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?Sort=D&topic=4140&forum=9)
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Hi Dee it's Carl. Great to know you are out there! I added you to both my AIM and Yahoo Messenger buddy lsits so hopefully we can chat.
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http://groups.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus ... 0812184911 (http://groups.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=groups.groupProfile&groupID=100016599&Mytoken=20050812184911)
i think thats the link you meant
walter
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For those of you seekin gother grads, you can find them in three main places:
the alumni site I help moderate that is owned by Alex N at groups.yahoo.com/group/cascadesurvivors
frienster - two ways to find people, either put in as first name of new friend "cascade" and last name "school" to see people, or join the small but growing group for The Cascade School there
myspace - there is a group on myspace for cascade grads called Cascade School run by a grad who has the screen name on my space Bittermint Patty
You can also see people on classmates.com and reunion.com
-- Leslie P '89
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Steve H-B in alive and well in California - I started a post on the my space group and put a link to some news articles about him on it, it's called the where's waldo staff tracking thread.
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I was at cascade school from 1993-1994. I lived in Left wing hughs at first then was moved over to pendragon. i went throught thr truth, youth, friends, brothers and trek. I have not kept in touch with anyone but would like to get in touch. My counselors were Bill Mcnight, then Mike McMahon. I was good friends with Ryan P. and Dave W., Jason K., Shawn R., Leslie L. If those names ring a bell or you think you rember me, get back to me. Thanks,
-J.S.
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I fucken hated cascade but craig was a good guy he had moments of being a dick it happens i'm over it but he was a good guy no need to talk shit bout him.
mario demetriou
[email protected]
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What about Jason Sebastian
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Hi. I was at Cascade for two months when I was thirteen. Carl took me under his wing and was very kind to me. He most certainly did not molest me or touch me inappropriately. He was a touchy-feely type but never went out of bounds with it. Obviously, this is only my own experience. If anyone had a different experience with Carl, please say so. Carl, if you're reading this, I'm married and have two children. Hope all is well.
-Susie
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this is laver again...well I got sent away again...and I think boarding schools are one hundred percent evil and wrong... I want to kill my parents now (because by law I don't have to go to boarding school I'm 17 and in texas and that means I don't have to go) but they're willing to deny me college education if I don't go.
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On 2006-01-03 11:26:00, Anonymous wrote:
"this is laver again...well I got sent away again...and I think boarding schools are one hundred percent evil and wrong... I want to kill my parents now (because by law I don't have to go to boarding school I'm 17 and in texas and that means I don't have to go) but they're willing to deny me college education if I don't go."
They can't. I used to work in college admissions, and financial aid was in the same department (enrollment services). Since I did tech support for the whole building, I know a bit about financial aid.
Even if your parents are rich as the Rockefellers, you can get guaranteed student loans for your full school expenses from the financial aid office of whatever school will accept you. You just don't qualify for grants--giveaways of education money.
You have two hard choices. The best choice is not to go to the RTC and to take the debt from the student loans and live with it.
Try to find a school with a cooperative program---that's where you go to school for a term, then work for a term, then go to school for a term, etc. It will keep your debt down and mean you graduate with good job experience on your resume.
You can also use a student job to get money for better living expenses and maybe even save some to make a big payment on your student loan and knock a chunk off the principle when you graduate.
Consult the financial aid departments of the colleges where you apply and have them counsel you. Apply several places. Pick the place that accepts you that has the most helpful financial aid department.
Anyone who tells you you won't qualify because of how rich your parents are is mistaken or lying.
If your parents won't let you keep your money from a McDonalds kind of job to pay your application fees, move out and move in with a friend while you put in your applications and use a McJob for the application fees.
If they're depriving you of the ability to continue high school, move out, move in with a friend, drop out if you have to to make enough money to pay enough rent to keep your friend or their parents happy. Study for your GED in your time off from work. A community college will accept you with just a GED, and will have a financial aid department that will get you loans to pay your tuition, books, dorm room fees or rent, and food.
The campus will have health services, including mental health at their student counseling center. Find out about all of this before you pick which community college you want. Don't be afraid to move to get to the best community college (in state, of course) for you. Once you're in, student counseling can also help you learn how to deal with the practical life problems of any adult, like job, food, rent.
Even at 17, cutting the apron strings will be hard, but it is better than letting your parents stick you in an RTC again.
I don't know you, but just from what you posted it sounds like you're old enough to make the jump to cutting the apron strings and jumping out of the parental nest.
At least some of your parents' friends probably disapprove like hell of your parents. If you have to move out now, or if the law makes you wait until your 18th birthday, there will probably be a friend whose parents will take you in. As long as you get a job (even a minimum wage one) and work on your GED, work on applying to college or vo/tech or something, and are willing to pay whatever rent you can afford from your minimum wage job.
In private, your friends' parents are probably ranting about how fucked up *your* parents are, not ranting about you.
Unless you really are a bad apple, which you don't sound like, in which case the solution is *still* to grow up and cut the apron strings and just *be* a responsible adult.
Don't let your parents scare you about the adult world. If you're 17, it's doable for you---it's just hard.
At 18, if it's not going too well, you might *try* to see if the armed forces will accept you. They help you grow up right and the GI bill isn't a half-bad deal. A lot of people on this board will disagree with me, and maybe it's not your thing. It's just one more of the positive options you have other than letting your parents pack you off to some institution run by a bunch of control-freak quacks.
Julie
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I am really glad you are back on the board, Julie. Your posts are always informational, well written and extremely insightful. :smile:
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I have to say I was overjoyed when I heard The Cascade School imploded. That place destroyed my life in many different ways for many years. I don?t know about a lot of the accusations here, but if the way I was treated by the school is any indicator, I have to assume a lot of it must be true. It also confirms that as an employee of The Cascade School, you weren?t much better off?and just as likely to get chewed up and spit out by "the founders? if they deemed it necessary.
I was hired to teach at Cascade in the mid-90s, leaving my graduate program and my entire life behind to move to Redding. I visited Cascade and bought into what I saw?I really felt like teaching and working directly with kids would be a great experience. They really needed a teacher for this subject, so I was heavily courted by the academics director. There were a lot of drawbacks--the salary was minimal, it was in the middle of nowhere, and having to miles every day back and forth from Redding made me hesitant. Cascade also did not offer teaching contracts, and would initially hire me as a long-term sub for the first six months. This made me nervous, but the academic director assured me that this was a mere formality, and short of me being totally incapable, after six months, if I were doing a good job, I would be hired on. I was like a lamb being led to slaughter.
I spent the next six months kicking my ass, establishing a non-existent curriculum, textbook, a rapport with kids and staff, going to forums, and spending personal time doing activities with kids, etc. I enjoyed working with many of the students, but admit that it was physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Having to drive up and back to Whitmore every day was often a challenge, especially with the weather concerns. Also, having to participate in forums after teaching for 8 hours a day was especially taxing. However, I liked what Cascade seemed to be doing for kids, teaching them about integrity, ethics, respect, responsibility, etc. So I trudged on, thinking this was all going to pay off. I also set up my life in Redding, anticipating this would be a permanent thing for awhile. I set up an apartment, purchased furniture, etc. It seemed like things were going well.
Then, at the six months point, I made an appointment with the director of academics to discuss my being hired full time. But somehow the meeting was always delayed, and I started to get nervous. At the same time, another teacher had suddenly ?disappeared? and was replaced. This person had been doing a good job teaching at Cascade for years, but apparently this person was deemed obsolete by one or all of "the founders?. So the Cascade trap door opened up under her----and was immediately replaced as if this person had had never existed. Students and staff were forbidden to talk about the former teacher. I should have seen the writing on the wall.
I finally had a meeting with the academic director, and I discussed all of the things I had established at Cascade. He agreed, and also said he had been to my classroom and I was doing a good job with students?and recognized that I was liked by students, and had a good rapport with them. However, he informed me that ?the founders weren?t ready to commit to me at this time?. I was in shock, and asked why this was, since I had done an outstanding job. His response was that this was a corporation, and that they had to make academic choices carefully---or something to that effect. I was at a loss, and reminded him of what he had told me initially about the long-term sub being a mere formality, and that I would have never have left my life behind and gambled so much if I had known that my being hired was to be subjectively determined by other issues besides my overall performance.. I told him I felt like he had misled me. He basically told me that he had never made such a claim, and then said something I still remember?talking to me as if I were some deluded child: ?sometimes when we want something really bad, we let ourselves believe things that really aren?t true.? Suddenly my eyes were opened, and I realized that all of the values promoted at Cascade: integrity, ethics, responsibility, honesty, etc. were things they preached?but didn?t necessarily practice. Obviously they knew they had me where they wanted me, and given that I had given up everything to move there?and had gone into debt as a result of setting up my life there?there was no way I could walk away. I also destroyed the transmission of my car carpooling four adults up that mountain, so was also in debt for another 2000 as well. The plan was obvious?string me along until the end of the year, see if anything that made the school look better on paper came along?and if so, fire me?and if not?hire me. I felt totally demoralized, angry and trapped. However, I was a lot less naïve, and began to recognize so truths that I had been unwilling to acknowledge before.
In my opinion, although the program was ideal for some, a lot of the kids at Cascade didn?t belong there. I was not privy to all the information, but it seemed like the biggest problem for a lot of kids was simply absentee/inept parenting?and Cascade offered itself as a quick fix for scared parents with lots of money. It also seemed to me that a lot of accomplished, overachieving parents put unreasonable expectations on their kids?which caused the kids to opt out and embrace alternative lifestyles where they could OK about themselves. I think many students would have been better served by alternatives that included more parental involvement and change, instead of the drastic measure of banishing your child to a therapeutic boarding school. Don?t get me wrong?there were definitely students who needed drastic intervention?but it seems like a lot of kids (and parents) were done a real disservice, possibly making them believe that Cascade was the place to be. This also makes me question whether or not intensive therapy (i.e. forums, etc) was necesary or healthy for all students. But unfortunately, the professionally-trained counseling staff were just employees, and so I think a lot of the determinations on whether a student ?needed? Cascade fell on founders?which Ifeel was a blatant conflict of intere$t.
I really don?t know how good the educational program was at Cascade, but they were accredited, so it had to have been at least acceptable. I do know there were a lot of amazing teachers there. Unfortunately, the professional administrator involved (the academic director) was just a façade and puppet for the founders---people who really had the final say in the important decisions about the school?but who had absolutely no training in education or educational administration. Obviously their bottom line was what looked good on paper?not what was working?or the commitment to professionals that had invested themselves in the school and their students. That is why they made no commitment to staff, and made it very clear that you could disappear just like that if you didn?t tow the founders? line. I also know founders used students to get info on staff members and used it as a way of keeping things under the fascist oligarchy-like state they had created at Cascade.
In any case, the reality check about Cascade and my situation really broke my spirit. I kept doing a good job, and liked working with the kids, but it was hard to continue working in a place and for people who I felt had betrayed me. I had traded the life I knew and my education for a long term sub position in a school in the middle of nowhere?and had nothing to show for it but debt.
Not long afterwards some guy showed up who was interviewing to teach the subject I taught for the following school year. They made it seem like it was for another position, but having a crystal clear understanding of ?the founders? criteria?and seeing that this guy had more credentials and looked better on paper than I did?it was obvious what they were doing. To parade this guy in front of me was not only demoralizing, but completely offensive. Not long before the end of the school year I went to meet with the academic director, and as I suspected, he told me they were going to ?go another way? with this teaching position. At this point I was angry and depressed, and at this point felt like I needed to at least get a letter of recommendation out of this year. I obligingly finished the school year and unceremoniously left Cascade with nothing but the letter in my hand?and my tail between my legs. Ironically, it was many of the students who came to say goodbye and were sad to see me go?I was touched by that, especially since I didn?t get even so much as a handshake from the ?founders?. But then again, I had never been anything more than a long-term substitute all along.
I left Cascade virtually broke, in debt, and stranded in a place that would provide me no equal job opportunity. I had to survive on unemployment, and eventually was forced to file bankruptcy. I finally recovered both financially and professionally, but it took years.
I have now been teaching for many years at a public school where I know my knowledge, skill and performance are valued and appreciated?and where I can count on benefits and job security that can?t be taken away on the whim of a handful of individuals who have no training in the field. I learned a lot about the realities of the world at Cascade, but unfortunately they were costly lessons.
I can?t really comment on a lot of the individual founders, but I will say I feel like they dug their own grave by running Cascade without any kind of objective rules or checks and balances that made sure people didn?t run the place on a whim?or exploit the school for their own personal/selfish agendas. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I think given the combo of power, money, and location, they started to believe they were beyond reproach when it came to what they did or didn?t do at Cascade. The mantra when it came to my situation was that it was a corporation, and that whatever was in the corporation?s best interest was what mattered most. Hopefully that wasn?t the case when it came to students, but I guess I will never know. I just hope that the accusations of molestation posted here are lies?I would hate to think any of the students at Cascade were victimized there. Many of those kids had already gone through a pretty hellish existence, so to think about someone abusing that trust and taking advantage of their position can be called nothing but evil.
Michael A. I only saw on occasion?eating with certain teachers, and snuggled up in the main hall with certain male students who I am sure went on to have lucrative modeling careers. During the time I was there he only made guest appearances, and the few times I was in the same room with him I don?t even think he knew who I was or acknowledged my presence. He seemed to foster this Wizard of Oz-like presence over the school. He was more present after when the school went through a mini-rebellion, and so he stepped into supposedly bring things to order. He seemed like a self-absorbed prick to me, so my anonymity seemed more of a blessing than anything. A few years ago I saw him and his friend at a bar (I am sure you can assume what kind). I was tempted to go over and tell him off, but I stopped myself, because I realized I would?ve just been wasting my time. I think there is only one person in this world that really matters to him, so I figured I?d let sleeping dogs lie and let karma continue kicking his ass. I am glad to see that is exactly what is happening.
I still think about a lot of the great kids I worked with and wonder what became of them. I can only hope that they were also able to transcend anything negative about their experience at that school, and that they went on to be happy and successful. I think of them often when dealing with my students on a daily basis, since my experience at Cascade allowed me to learn to be not only a teacher to my students, but a person who genuinely cares about them and their well-being on a personal level as well. That goes a long way in this field, and allows me to make a real difference in young people?s lives?which is really the only thing that matters.
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His response was that this was a corporation, and that they had to make academic choices carefully---or something to that effect. I was at a loss, and reminded him of what he had told me initially about the long-term sub being a mere formality, and that I would have never have left my life behind and gambled so much if I had known that my being hired was to be subjectively determined by other issues besides my overall performance.. I told him I felt like he had misled me. He basically told me that he had never made such a claim, and then said something I still remember?talking to me as if I were some deluded child: ?sometimes when we want something really bad, we let ourselves believe things that really aren?t true.?>>>>
Ah, the program mind fuck. ::shudder:: Kids, parents, staff. Guess no one's exempt.
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just seeing what's up with people, are you okay...hope so, email let me know, Barbara Perry
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here's an address...b :wave: [email protected]
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[email protected]...there!!!
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Oh, the bachelor is giving his final rose, I hope it's the teacher and it is!!! Anyways, just seeing who contacted me a while back, hope you're doing well... let me know!! Bye
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WTF---are you for real? :roll:
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Somone wrote me on this forum awhhhhile ago and I notice I never responded, whoever it was I was trying to be kind...I'm sure if our paths cross it was meant to be. It's not necessary for someone else to be rude.
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"professional assassination is the highest form of public service" :skull:
anyone know michael allgoods address or what town hes living in?
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Does anyone remember my son Gabe George 95-96
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Woah... I just skimmed this thread and I can't believe how many people are still bitter about Cascade.
I am really glad to see that some people I knew from Cascade are doing well though. I am Mike Owens by the way.
I still keep in touch with Rob Odden and Rob Close.
Rob Odden is doing well at DePaul.
Rob Close is living in Florida and all things considering -- doing well.
Saw Wiley Horde who is rooming with Rob Odden in Chicago. Also doing very well as a "starving artist." Was glad to see him.
I am also doing well. I wish I had kept in better touch with a lot of you. I can't believe how long it's been since I've been to that place. But then again, it feels like it's becoming a distant memory.
Walter you should send me an e-mail at mike31785 at gmail dot com. Last time I talked to you my mom told me that she got a call from your dad and he wanted me to never talk to you again. Haha, I really dont know what that was all about but I'm glad to see that youre doing well.
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On 2006-04-18 19:09:00, Anonymous wrote:
Last time I talked to you my mom told me that she got a call from your dad and he wanted me to never talk to you again. Haha, I really dont know what that was all about
Really? You have no idea?
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Really? You have no idea?"
Is this Walter?
And ..No I dont. I want to say that (your) dad said I was a bad influence or something along those lines but I don't remember.
That was a fast reply for a thread that averages one post a week.
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On 2006-04-18 19:23:00, Anonymous wrote:
"
Really? You have no idea?"
Is this Walter?
And ..No I dont. I want to say that (your) dad said I was a bad influence or something along those lines but I don't remember.
No, this isn't Walter but damn, I was right on. It's the same in all programs. Anyone who isn't towing the program line properly in shunned, banned or whatever you want to call it.
I was just reading through the different forums. Didn't go to Cascade.
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For the people looking for other cascade grads there are several active forums for them with hundreds of us from all years out there. If you want to know where to go email me with your name and when you were at cascade (graduated or not) and I'll send all the group addresses to you. Sorry - most are not open to grads of other schools or anonymous posters. email to lpphoenix at gmail dot com with "cascade forums request" in the subject line so I know you are now spamspamspamspam. leslie p
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I AM SPAM MAN.
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On 2004-01-13 13:25:00, Anonymous wrote:
Unfortunately, the enrollment dropped precipitously, with the unanticipated withdrawal of students during the holiday break and the first week of January. As a result, the school is no longer able to meet its financial obligations, and our remaining students will need to transfer to other settings on or before January 20.
First off, during every break at least a few kids get pulled. Secondly, only four(4)kids got pulled during the break. Most importantly, People left the first week of January because you kicked them all out, it's ironic that you promise to help every kid that comes, and when you just cant get the kids to agree with the program you send them away to lockdown or wilderness. A lot of parents also saw that the school was coming to the end and managed to pull thier kids out before you closed. You blame your problems on under enrollment, which you have no one else to blame but your self.
I would just like to say that I was at Cascade for about 6 months. I was a good kid there and never really got into any trouble. However I and a bunch of other students got into some trouble and we were ALL kicked out. What happened to giving people second chances? Especially if it's a child? Don't you want to teach children from their mistakes? What the hell is kicking them out going to do? It was bullshit. They say they wanted to help but everyone was kicked out. Never once did anyone try to find the deep down meaning for me doing what I did. They just sent me back to wilderness.
All this shit is bull!!
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I went to Cascade from Jan. '94 - June '98
We should have a reunion again! (I missed the Vegas one)
I heard many of the kids did not come back from home visits, then I heard the same about a free for all, pretty much kids doing what ever they wanted. I have to say I suprised it did not happen sooner.
I think Craig and Barb Cass are in OR. A friend's husband told me Barb said hello. Kind of freaked me out. It ends up he is a psychologist and they had a mutual client. They got to talking and Cascade came up. he knew I went there and mentioned my name. Small world.
My e-mail address is [email protected]
Laurie '94 :shamrock:
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Does anyone remember my son Gabe George 95-96
I do. If this really is his parents I have met you several times and came to your house twice. Please let me know how he's doing... Gabe has sort of dropped off the map for me. I hope all is well with you.
here is my email-
[email protected]
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Hi My name is Ashley V. I went to cascade in gosh 94' 95'. I had first went to SUWS wilderness program and then I was sent to cascade. What a f*cked up time that was. I didn't end up have having to spend the full two years there thank god. My parents pulled me. I started to refuse the monitored phone calls to my parents that we got every two weeks. Theres probably more to it then that, but eventually I ws pulled. Is there anyone here that went there in 94' 95' please email me at [email protected]. Make the subject CASCADE.
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Hi My name is Ashley V. I went to cascade in gosh 94' 95'. I had first went to SUWS wilderness program and then I was sent to cascade. What a f*cked up time that was. I didn't end up have having to spend the full two years there thank god. My parents pulled me. I started to refuse the monitored phone calls to my parents that we got every two weeks. Theres probably more to it then that, but eventually I ws pulled. Is there anyone here that went there in 94' 95' please email me at [email protected]. Make the subject CASCADE.
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Why did your parents send you to a program?
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Hey everyone. This is Lee Veltman. Cascade grad from 88-90. Learning a lot about what happened at cascade to bring about the closing and even though my experience there was a good one: i got by and never got singled out as a bad student. Many feelings for the ones who had a bad experience there. I'm looking for info. I hate that we, who have a bond like none other aren't a closer group and want to do something to help. I would love to find Eric Von, Etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sincerly Lee Veltman. You can find me on facebook.
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I am not sure who wrote this post, but I was at Cascade from 96-98. I had some wonderful teachers there who were a welcome break from the weird cultiness. I didn't take classes from everyone, but if you happen to be Minette Riordan, Luis Aceval, Larry Tripp, Joe Loverde, or Lance Miller, I am very thankful I had you as a teacher! Each of those teachers introduced me to something profound and their insights and guidance are still with me today.
I have heard from other former staff about how abusive the school's hierarchy was and I am very sorry that you all had to experience that as well. Please know that for what it's worth, your misery granted some students like me a brief reprieve and we will never forget it. I hope you are well and happy now.
I have to say I was overjoyed when I heard The Cascade School imploded. That place destroyed my life in many different ways for many years. I don?t know about a lot of the accusations here, but if the way I was treated by the school is any indicator, I have to assume a lot of it must be true. It also confirms that as an employee of The Cascade School, you weren?t much better off?and just as likely to get chewed up and spit out by "the founders? if they deemed it necessary.
I was hired to teach at Cascade in the mid-90s, leaving my graduate program and my entire life behind to move to Redding. I visited Cascade and bought into what I saw?I really felt like teaching and working directly with kids would be a great experience. They really needed a teacher for this subject, so I was heavily courted by the academics director. There were a lot of drawbacks--the salary was minimal, it was in the middle of nowhere, and having to miles every day back and forth from Redding made me hesitant. Cascade also did not offer teaching contracts, and would initially hire me as a long-term sub for the first six months. This made me nervous, but the academic director assured me that this was a mere formality, and short of me being totally incapable, after six months, if I were doing a good job, I would be hired on. I was like a lamb being led to slaughter.
I spent the next six months kicking my ass, establishing a non-existent curriculum, textbook, a rapport with kids and staff, going to forums, and spending personal time doing activities with kids, etc. I enjoyed working with many of the students, but admit that it was physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Having to drive up and back to Whitmore every day was often a challenge, especially with the weather concerns. Also, having to participate in forums after teaching for 8 hours a day was especially taxing. However, I liked what Cascade seemed to be doing for kids, teaching them about integrity, ethics, respect, responsibility, etc. So I trudged on, thinking this was all going to pay off. I also set up my life in Redding, anticipating this would be a permanent thing for awhile. I set up an apartment, purchased furniture, etc. It seemed like things were going well.
Then, at the six months point, I made an appointment with the director of academics to discuss my being hired full time. But somehow the meeting was always delayed, and I started to get nervous. At the same time, another teacher had suddenly ?disappeared? and was replaced. This person had been doing a good job teaching at Cascade for years, but apparently this person was deemed obsolete by one or all of "the founders?. So the Cascade trap door opened up under her----and was immediately replaced as if this person had had never existed. Students and staff were forbidden to talk about the former teacher. I should have seen the writing on the wall.
I finally had a meeting with the academic director, and I discussed all of the things I had established at Cascade. He agreed, and also said he had been to my classroom and I was doing a good job with students?and recognized that I was liked by students, and had a good rapport with them. However, he informed me that ?the founders weren?t ready to commit to me at this time?. I was in shock, and asked why this was, since I had done an outstanding job. His response was that this was a corporation, and that they had to make academic choices carefully---or something to that effect. I was at a loss, and reminded him of what he had told me initially about the long-term sub being a mere formality, and that I would have never have left my life behind and gambled so much if I had known that my being hired was to be subjectively determined by other issues besides my overall performance.. I told him I felt like he had misled me. He basically told me that he had never made such a claim, and then said something I still remember?talking to me as if I were some deluded child: ?sometimes when we want something really bad, we let ourselves believe things that really aren?t true.? Suddenly my eyes were opened, and I realized that all of the values promoted at Cascade: integrity, ethics, responsibility, honesty, etc. were things they preached?but didn?t necessarily practice. Obviously they knew they had me where they wanted me, and given that I had given up everything to move there?and had gone into debt as a result of setting up my life there?there was no way I could walk away. I also destroyed the transmission of my car carpooling four adults up that mountain, so was also in debt for another 2000 as well. The plan was obvious?string me along until the end of the year, see if anything that made the school look better on paper came along?and if so, fire me?and if not?hire me. I felt totally demoralized, angry and trapped. However, I was a lot less naïve, and began to recognize so truths that I had been unwilling to acknowledge before.
In my opinion, although the program was ideal for some, a lot of the kids at Cascade didn?t belong there. I was not privy to all the information, but it seemed like the biggest problem for a lot of kids was simply absentee/inept parenting?and Cascade offered itself as a quick fix for scared parents with lots of money. It also seemed to me that a lot of accomplished, overachieving parents put unreasonable expectations on their kids?which caused the kids to opt out and embrace alternative lifestyles where they could OK about themselves. I think many students would have been better served by alternatives that included more parental involvement and change, instead of the drastic measure of banishing your child to a therapeutic boarding school. Don?t get me wrong?there were definitely students who needed drastic intervention?but it seems like a lot of kids (and parents) were done a real disservice, possibly making them believe that Cascade was the place to be. This also makes me question whether or not intensive therapy (i.e. forums, etc) was necesary or healthy for all students. But unfortunately, the professionally-trained counseling staff were just employees, and so I think a lot of the determinations on whether a student ?needed? Cascade fell on founders?which Ifeel was a blatant conflict of intere$t.
I really don?t know how good the educational program was at Cascade, but they were accredited, so it had to have been at least acceptable. I do know there were a lot of amazing teachers there. Unfortunately, the professional administrator involved (the academic director) was just a façade and puppet for the founders---people who really had the final say in the important decisions about the school?but who had absolutely no training in education or educational administration. Obviously their bottom line was what looked good on paper?not what was working?or the commitment to professionals that had invested themselves in the school and their students. That is why they made no commitment to staff, and made it very clear that you could disappear just like that if you didn?t tow the founders? line. I also know founders used students to get info on staff members and used it as a way of keeping things under the fascist oligarchy-like state they had created at Cascade.
In any case, the reality check about Cascade and my situation really broke my spirit. I kept doing a good job, and liked working with the kids, but it was hard to continue working in a place and for people who I felt had betrayed me. I had traded the life I knew and my education for a long term sub position in a school in the middle of nowhere?and had nothing to show for it but debt.
Not long afterwards some guy showed up who was interviewing to teach the subject I taught for the following school year. They made it seem like it was for another position, but having a crystal clear understanding of ?the founders? criteria?and seeing that this guy had more credentials and looked better on paper than I did?it was obvious what they were doing. To parade this guy in front of me was not only demoralizing, but completely offensive. Not long before the end of the school year I went to meet with the academic director, and as I suspected, he told me they were going to ?go another way? with this teaching position. At this point I was angry and depressed, and at this point felt like I needed to at least get a letter of recommendation out of this year. I obligingly finished the school year and unceremoniously left Cascade with nothing but the letter in my hand?and my tail between my legs. Ironically, it was many of the students who came to say goodbye and were sad to see me go?I was touched by that, especially since I didn?t get even so much as a handshake from the ?founders?. But then again, I had never been anything more than a long-term substitute all along.
I left Cascade virtually broke, in debt, and stranded in a place that would provide me no equal job opportunity. I had to survive on unemployment, and eventually was forced to file bankruptcy. I finally recovered both financially and professionally, but it took years.
I have now been teaching for many years at a public school where I know my knowledge, skill and performance are valued and appreciated?and where I can count on benefits and job security that can?t be taken away on the whim of a handful of individuals who have no training in the field. I learned a lot about the realities of the world at Cascade, but unfortunately they were costly lessons.
I can?t really comment on a lot of the individual founders, but I will say I feel like they dug their own grave by running Cascade without any kind of objective rules or checks and balances that made sure people didn?t run the place on a whim?or exploit the school for their own personal/selfish agendas. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and I think given the combo of power, money, and location, they started to believe they were beyond reproach when it came to what they did or didn?t do at Cascade. The mantra when it came to my situation was that it was a corporation, and that whatever was in the corporation?s best interest was what mattered most. Hopefully that wasn?t the case when it came to students, but I guess I will never know. I just hope that the accusations of molestation posted here are lies?I would hate to think any of the students at Cascade were victimized there. Many of those kids had already gone through a pretty hellish existence, so to think about someone abusing that trust and taking advantage of their position can be called nothing but evil.
Michael A. I only saw on occasion?eating with certain teachers, and snuggled up in the main hall with certain male students who I am sure went on to have lucrative modeling careers. During the time I was there he only made guest appearances, and the few times I was in the same room with him I don?t even think he knew who I was or acknowledged my presence. He seemed to foster this Wizard of Oz-like presence over the school. He was more present after when the school went through a mini-rebellion, and so he stepped into supposedly bring things to order. He seemed like a self-absorbed prick to me, so my anonymity seemed more of a blessing than anything. A few years ago I saw him and his friend at a bar (I am sure you can assume what kind). I was tempted to go over and tell him off, but I stopped myself, because I realized I would?ve just been wasting my time. I think there is only one person in this world that really matters to him, so I figured I?d let sleeping dogs lie and let karma continue kicking his ass. I am glad to see that is exactly what is happening.
I still think about a lot of the great kids I worked with and wonder what became of them. I can only hope that they were also able to transcend anything negative about their experience at that school, and that they went on to be happy and successful. I think of them often when dealing with my students on a daily basis, since my experience at Cascade allowed me to learn to be not only a teacher to my students, but a person who genuinely cares about them and their well-being on a personal level as well. That goes a long way in this field, and allows me to make a real difference in young people?s lives?which is really the only thing that matters.