Alumni Questionnaire ← Back to Index
Craig Shell:
What is your name?
Craig Shell
To which institutions were you sent?
I was in Canada from June of '94 until September of '94. I was in the D.R. from September of '94 until August of '96, and I was in Marion from August of '96 until February of '97.
How old were you?
16-18
When were you enrolled in The Program?
I entered the program on June 12, 1994 and I left the program on February 15, 1997.
What was the highest level you attained?
2nd
Please describe the circumstances that got you sent to The Program:
I didn't listen to authority at all. I was constantly getting suspended from school and skipping school as well. I was sneaking out of the house and doing drugs and getting drunk when ever I could. To put it bluntly I was a problem child.
In which house(s) did you live?
Dagley in Canada, Thomas in the D.R. and Lare in Marion.
Please describe instances of abuse you experienced while in the program, if any:
I was on silence and notebook support and I was thrown around on a regular basis. Pushup support was kind of funny to me at first and then it got real old real fast when it got up to 20. My most favorite were sessions. (note the sarcasm.) Another was one night the guy that I shared a bunk with and I closed the slats because the security light shined right in our eyes and made it hard to go to sleep. One of us closed the slats and another student kept opening them. He and I got up at the same time to close them and another student got the house fathers attention and told him we were going to jump the first student. We were both in push up position for an hour then got thrown around and put back into push up position and then given swats that night. If I remember correctly we had a session with Mr. Redwine about it as well and got more swats. My bunkmate was handcuffed to the sink and made to sleep on the floor that night and they threatened to do the same to me but I was so tired I didn't even put up a fight when they put us back into the room.
Describe abuse of other students you witnessed, if any:
I remember there was a guy that came into Thomas and in his first night he was restrained for at least a half hour; I don't remember completely.
Do you have any good memories of The Program? If so, what are they?
One of my best memories is jumping off the cliff at the Bamboo Hole. I think that's what it was called at least. Another was Trail Camp in Canada.
What is your overall impression of The Program? Did it “help you”?
My overall impression of the program is that it helped me in some ways yet it made other things worse in my life.
What do you think of the quality of education you received?
I think I received a decent education. I made it farther in high school than I thought I would to be quite honest.
How old are you today?
27
Did you go to college after attending The Program? If so, what degrees do you have?
Yes. I haven't finished yet so I have no degrees.
What is your profession?
I'm going to school for Graphic arts and web page design mixed into one program.
Do you consider yourself a Christian today?
I believe there is a heaven and a hell. However, I do not go to church, nor do I really have the desire to. So no.
What effect did “The Program” have on your faith?
I was not to thrilled having religion pushed down my throat.
Please feel free to add comments here:
Sadly enough after almost 9 years I still have program dreams at least twice a month. It may be more than that but I couldn't tell you for sure because I don't remember my dreams very often. I also have a hard time showing emotion towards people because of the program.
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