Part two with Ron DeChristoforo '68 on the hard edges of Girard discipline — the paddling, standing “grudging” facing the wall — and the novel that came out of it.
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Co-host and co-creator. Dan brings the production chops and the stories from the early 90s era at Girard. The man behind the camera and the one who'll call it like it is.
Co-host and co-creator. Mike bridges the eras as part of the historic Class of '96 — the first to graduate more women than men in Girard's 177-year history. Direct, no filter, all heart.
Two guests came on the show with books already written. Both walked the same halls behind the same walls — twenty-six years apart.
Before the guests. Before the stories. Two guys who grew up behind the walls of Girard College decided the world needed to hear what really happened inside boarding schools like theirs.
Dan Knittel, Girard College '94. Mike Noel, Girard College '96. This is their intro. This is why the show exists. Start here.
▶ Watch Episode 0Dorm Disorder is a boarding school alumni video podcast hosted by Dan Knittel (Girard College '94) and Mike Noel (Girard College '96). From mischievous pranks and late-night escapades to the bonds that shaped a lifetime, every episode brings you inside the walls of America's most storied boarding schools.
With guests from Girard College, Milton Hershey School, and more, the show captures the raw, unfiltered stories of growing up in these institutions — the friendships, the rivalries, the uncomfortable truths, and the shared experience that only boarding school kids understand.
Season 2 · Episode 8 Part 2 — "This Way Out: One Man's Reflection on Girard" (DeChristoforo Part 2). New episodes every Tuesday.
Every story told only by those who lived it.
Available everywhere you get your podcasts.
Dorm Disorder tells the stories that happened inside the walls. The ones that don't make the brochure.
Girard College — Founded in 1831 by Stephen Girard in Philadelphia. Desegregated in 1968 after a landmark civil rights battle, opening to girls in 1984. Home base for hosts Dan ('94) and Mike ('96). Anchored by the stunning Founder's Hall — a National Historic Landmark — and surrounded by 10-foot walls that created a world of its own.
Milton Hershey School — Founded in 1909 by chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey in Hershey, PA. One of the wealthiest and largest residential schools in the world, providing a cost-free education and home to children from low-income families. Guest Alex Cruz is a proud MHS alum.
Wyoming Seminary — Founded in 1844 by Methodist Church leaders in Kingston, PA. Known to its own as "Sem," with a campus on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979 and about a third of Upper School students boarding. Guest Alysia Mujica ('07) is a proud Sem alum.
Season 2 is live and expanding the conversation even further. If you went to a boarding school and have stories that shaped who you are, Dorm Disorder wants to hear them.
Get notified when new episodes drop each Tuesday, plus Season 2 updates.
