Does SJHS Believe in Ghosts
Ghosts have been reported since the beginning of our time. In fact, one of the first documented ghost sightings was in the first century A.D. Pliny the Younger, a Roman writer, claimed the specter of an old man who had a long beard and rattling chains was haunting his house in Athens, according to an article History.com published on June 10, 2019. Since then, ghosts have been the main topic of many scary stories told around Halloween, whether real or fake. Additionally, paranormal experiences are not unfamiliar to our students and staff at St. Joe High School.
“In May, we were at my friend's house watching a scary movie. We decided to talk to ghosts, so we turned off the lights and locked the door. We heard weird noises and the door got stuck. No cap, bro. I think it was because his great grandpa died in that room,” Mac Hybels, 10, said.
Mr. Dane Gallagher and his family had a similar connection from a passed family member.
“A week after my mom's great aunt passed away, my mom was awakened at three A.M. She was laying in the living room and saw two little orbs in the pitch black corner of the room. One was blue and one was white. They were moving around and suddenly disappeared. It was kind of like an energy thing,” Mr. Gallagher said.
Despite teaching science, Mr. Gallagher has no explanation for these mysterious blue orbs seen floating in his mom’s living room.
“Another incident was with my grandfather clock. After my dad passed, our family had turned it off. However, one Christmas my wife and I were sitting on the couch and it started chiming out of nowhere. So yeah, weird things like that happen at our house,” remembered Mr. Gallagher.
Not every paranormal story experienced by our school was an actual sighting. According to Noah Adkins, 9, he had nightmares after “upsetting” a spirit.
“I once knocked a grave over by kicking a soccer ball into it. Then I had nightmares about a ghost for a couple weeks after,” stated Noah.
Kiley Hayden, 12 believes she lived in a haunted house.
“When I was like 5, every night my family and I would hear glass shattering and crying in our foyer. We think this was because the past owners’ niece died while riding on the hood of a car. Her spirit haunted our house for a while after that. One day my grandma was watching my house while we were on vacation and she heard crying. She told the girl’s spirit the family moved out and she should be at peace,” said Kiley.
Since then, her family hasn’t heard anything.
SJHS students, along with a portion of the general public, are no strangers to eerie paranormal experiences. In fact, 18% of Americans have reportedly seen a ghost, according to Pewresearch.org. Regardless if you believe in ghosts or not, it’s clear that there are unexplainable things occuring in the lives of affected individuals. Scary stories have been lived through– and told– throughout the years and are perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit.