I was sent to one of these schools and attended from late 2005 - early 2007. The school was called Excel Academy about an hour north of Houston; it has since been shut down. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excel_Academy_(Conroe,_Texas) My reasons for being sent there are similar to the author's. I didn't take my dad's car without permission, but I did drink a lot, skip school, was generally rebellious and refused to be…
I was in elan and yea, a lot of similarities. elan had a pretty extensive class system. Shot down was the lowest, worker was standard entry level, then expeditor, then something else, then guru, and I can’t remember the rest. Anything lower then expeditor weren’t allowed to talk to one another without a higher up “being aware” or couldn’t use the bathroom without an escort(who could deny you if they were busy or just…
We didn’t have access to anything like music, computers, phones, etc. The only contact we had with the outside world was through supervised parent phone calls, supervised doctor visits (only if you absolutely had to go off-site), and supervised on-site family visits once you were promoted to strength.
Excel’s program was rooted in AA which they claimed didn’t require a higher power or religion, only a belief in a higher power outside of yourself.
It was an incredibly controlling environment. The amazing thing is, even in such a place I managed to form some good memories and forget a lot of the bad. I immersed myself in schoolwork, and duties like working in the kitchen which was an enjoyable outlet since I like cooking.
At the end though, I guess I was just one of those who faked their way to the top (strength) as I was one of the fastest students ever to reach the appropriate level, but I hid my unhappiness and disagreement with their methods and refused to return as soon as I turned 18 and had my first off-campus visit.