Though Halloween isn’t for another eight months, for some students at Urbandale High School the horrors have already started. In fact, they’ve been going on for years. Hidden deep in the heart of the high-school’s auditorium is a haunting both spooky and theatrical. Are these ghost stories just tall tales made up by students, or is something even more sinister at play?
The first ghost in the PAC is a spirit named Crispina, who is apparently the ghost of a witch. She first appeared during Urbandale’s production of The Addams Family, when a student decided to take a trip to a medium. According to theater director Gavin Gallegos, the medium told the student that “as part of this, you get one item– and it has to be one that chooses you”. The student ended up with a “witches box”, a box that has a false bottom to hide things in. In the old days, people were fabled to have filled the top with beans to fool witches, while keeping their actual belongings hidden underneath. When the student brought this box to the production, Crispina caught a ride with it.
“There have been times I’ve heard people walking…when no one was there.”
(Thomas Reece)
Though Crispina is the only spirit with a name and a story, there are many other incidents of ghosts and creepiness in the auditorium. Senior Aspen Field says there is a “ghost that lives in the catwalk”, and sophomore Gabriel Ahmed has heard opera music when no one was around. Students have also admitted to having things thrown at them when no one was around, and have seen things fly off shelves. Gallegos has even seen shadow people around the auditorium, saying more specifically that “they tend to hang out by the main entrance”. Other unexplained sightings have been made in the soundbooth next to the soundboard, and shadows have been seen running across the balcony.
Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, these stories undoubtedly add a spooky vibe to the auditorium. Whether it’s ghosts roaming around the stage, things flying off of shelves, or even a witch-ghost named Crispina, there’s a lot to keep you awake at night. Make sure to be on the lookout the next time you visit, because there’s a chance you might see some ghastly activity for yourself. Or maybe… it will see you.
