Dorm Disorder

Danny Knittel and Mike Noel

Step back into the unforgettable world of boarding school life in Philadelphia during the electric 80s and bold 90s. Join two friends as they share firsthand accounts of mischievous pranks, late-night escapades, and the unique culture that defined their youth. From laugh-out-loud moments to the unexpected challenges of adolescence, this podcast is a nostalgic ride through an era of rebellion and discovery. While humor takes center stage, we don’t shy away from the uncomfortable truths woven into our experiences. Every story is real—told only by those who lived it. Buckle up for a journey that’s equal parts outrageous, heartfelt, and unapologetically true.

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    The Berry Brothers: Best of Dorm Disorder

    Two brothers, one campus, and more stories than one episode could hold. This special pulls together the best moments from our Season One conversations with Rich Berry and Rasool Berry. It starts on test day, with a drive past Eastern State Penitentiary that had the family wondering if Girard was a prison school. From there it’s culture shock, lights-out rules, and a first-week laugh that turned into a dorm-wide grudge. Getting locked out of the dorm for the third time in a week leads to an escape route through the ceiling. Then the chaos: a bat loose in the hallway after Friday night skating, a high fade that turned into a Gumby right before the dance, a detention-room secret kept for 30 years, a water balloon prank with a mysterious mirror, and a talent show knee-slide that got somebody blamed for the loss. The brothers also remember the people who shaped them. There’s a classmate who gave up his Jordans, an old rival who ran up to say thank you, and Mr. Garrett showing up when a field trip turned frightening. They honor Bruce Dangerfield and Khalif Dennis, whose gift for bringing people together is still felt today. Finally, they look at where Girard led: a senior-year petition, a life-changing read of Malcolm X’s autobiography, the fight to free Jonathan Irons, and a graduation-day moment that ends with an apology to Mr. Devlin, decades late. Funny, heartfelt, and pure Girard. Welcome to Dorm Disorder.

  2. Sep 8 ·  Video

    Five Cents, Six Regrets: The Now & Later Ponzi Scheme

    Part two with the Berry brothers is here, and someone finally has to answer for the Now Later situation. Rich Berry Girard ('92) copped to buying a 6-pack of Now Laters for ten cents a pack, ripping the pack open and reselling the individual pieces to fellow students for a nickel a piece — a business model we're calling Dorm Capitalism. Meanwhile Rasool Berry ('95) reveals he actually wrote for Hill Comics, the fictional comic book company started by Terrin Hill, so at least one Berry brother was doing something legal. We also drag up the Season 1 classic where a houseparent caught Rasool in a bathroom with a girl, and relive exactly how disappointed his mom was to hear about it. Since this is our Season 2 finale (we're benching ourselves for football season), Mike and I close things out with Rich and Rasool on NFC East predictions. Go Birds!

  3. Sep 1 ·  Video

    "Cheers Ruined Everything: The Sanford & Son Betrayal"

    Dan and Mike welcome back brothers Rich and Rasool Berry — both Girard College grads (classes of '92 and '95) and both Season 1 guests, though never together until now. The conversation kicks off with an unexpected parallel: Dan and Rich were both once left behind in a strange place at the same age, which leads into the story of Rich getting abandoned at Sesame Place as a kid — and making the most of it with free pizza and quality time with Ernie until his mom and grandmom finally made it back. From there, the brothers dig into the great Sanford and Son VHS betrayal (courtesy of Rasool taping over it with Cheers, which earned him two weeks of silence), what it was like being split up at Girard with very different visitation schedules, and the time Rich chose to stay behind just to keep his little brother company. It all wraps up with the legendary tale of Rasool's missing red Nikes and the "bobos" his mom made him wear as punishment. A nostalgic, chaotic, laugh-out-loud reunion episode.

  4. Aug 25 ·  Video

    "This Way Out: One Man's Reflection on Girard"

    Mike and Dan continue their powerful conversation with Ron DeChristoforo, a 1968 graduate of Girard College, diving deep into the harsh realities of discipline during his time there — from paddling and standing "grudging" facing the wall, to holding dictionaries with arms outstretched for what felt like hours. Ron shares why, at 70 years old, he finally sat down to write "This Way Out," a fictional story rooted in his own experience at Girard. He explains that the memories of what happened to his friends and classmates never left him, and that writing the book became his way of saying: I'm sorry that happened to you. This episode gets heavy at times, but it also captures something remarkable — the instant, unspoken bond shared by everyone who came through Girard's gates, each carrying their own hardship, yet connected by a shared experience that lets total strangers talk like old friends. A raw, honest look at trauma, brotherhood, and the long road to healing.

  5. Aug 18 ·  Video

    "The Underwear Uprising (feat. Ron DeChristoforo, Part 1)"

    Before there was CNN, there was a bin of dirty underwear dumped on a school president's rug — and it worked. This week, Mike Noel and Dan Knittel sit down for part one with Ron DeChristoforo (Girard College, Class of '68) to talk about life inside the walls of a free boarding school for kids of single parents. Ron shares how a shop teacher crushed his drafting dreams with one perfect line ("Ron, you can't design a basketball"), the great four-pairs-of-underwear protest that ended in a very undignified stunt, and what it was like to be a teenager at Girard in 1968 — with NAACP protests outside the gates fighting to desegregate the school, and Vietnam tearing up the rest of the country. Ron also opens up about corporal punishment at Girard, which prompts Dan to relive his own run-in with a wooden chair leg courtesy of Mr. Rothfuss. Grab your last clean pair of underwear and settle in — this one's a doozy.

  6. Aug 11 ·  Video

    "Life Is Hard": Lessons from a Classroom in Crisis

    We're back with part two of our conversation with Alysia Mujica. She opens up about the culture shock of boarding school at Wyoming Seminary in 10th grade, then takes us into her classroom — she teaches ESL to K-3rd graders in Pennsauken, NJ, where kids are navigating parents facing deportation, gun violence, and other trauma before they even get to their spelling lists. Alysia shares the moment an 8-year-old student from Liberia tried to comfort her after her fiancé's sudden death by telling her, simply, "life is hard." We also get into her Instagram, where she teaches people how to travel the world on a budget. It's a heavy, honest, and ultimately hopeful conversation.

  7. Aug 4 ·  Video

    "Devil's Lettuce, Dumpster Romance, and 4-Inch Heels: The Wyoming Seminary Episode"

    Mike's still floating on cloud nine from his 30-year reunion cruise (Virgin Voyages — no kids allowed, and he will not shut up about it), and Dan is filing a formal grievance against K-Pot for charging $31.99 a head and then just... dumping everyone's food on one communal plate like animals. Once the outrage subsides, we sit down with Alysia Mujica (Wyoming Seminary, class of 2007) to talk about her glow-up from public school to a gate-less prep campus where rich kids roamed free, snuck out for pizza and questionable dumpster-adjacent activities, and somehow all wore 4-inch heels to class like they were auditioning for "Mean Girls." Alysia was not rich. Alysia thrifted her way into looking rich. We talk scholarships, off-season Abercrombie, and the eternal question: why wasn't it us?

  8. Jul 28 ·  Video

    "The Substitute Never Stood a Chance (feat. Dr. Steven Spencer)"

    Part 2 with Dr. Steven Spencer, and Girard's classroom chaos is fully on display. Steven walks us through his 180 on running — from despising every mile to genuinely loving it — and gives us the rundown on his book, Purple Blood: The Divide Between Rural and Urban Healthcare, plus what he saw working in healthcare in North Carolina versus Philadelphia. Then things get chaotic: Steven tells the story of a substitute teacher who couldn't turn his back for two seconds without the entire class launching textbooks into the air — bad enough that the principal had to get called in. Dan matches it with the teacher who got teased so relentlessly about smelling like pee that he walked out of the classroom and just... never came back. Girard: educating minds, breaking substitutes, since forever.

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Ratings & Reviews

3
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Step back into the unforgettable world of boarding school life in Philadelphia during the electric 80s and bold 90s. Join two friends as they share firsthand accounts of mischievous pranks, late-night escapades, and the unique culture that defined their youth. From laugh-out-loud moments to the unexpected challenges of adolescence, this podcast is a nostalgic ride through an era of rebellion and discovery. While humor takes center stage, we don’t shy away from the uncomfortable truths woven into our experiences. Every story is real—told only by those who lived it. Buckle up for a journey that’s equal parts outrageous, heartfelt, and unapologetically true.

Information

  • Creator
    Danny Knittel and Mike Noel
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Dorm Disorder