Damien High School: Spooky Legends
Charles Baggarly
Co-Editor
Throughout my years at high school, I’ve heard whispers from both students and teachers that there are haunted areas on campus. Personally, I don’t believe in ghosts, but the fact that so many people believe in these stories intrigues me. In my opinion, there is nothing out of the ordinary about Damien High School. I’m just reporting on what other people have said and heard.
Recently, I’ve been investigating various places around campus, looking for signs of spookiness. I’ve talked to many faculty members, who had very interesting stories to tell. Mr. Pridgeon told me an old Damien High School legend that has been circling around campus for years. Supposedly, there was a girl in the 1930's who was upset after a boy denied her proposal to be a couple. This was back when Damien didn’t exist. The place we know as Damien High School was Bonita High School in the 30's, and it was coeducational. The girl, saddened by the boy’s actions, supposedly hung herself on the stairs in the 400 building. Rumor has it that her spirit still resides in the building. Obviously, there are very few facts, if any, that can prove this event ever happened. Generations of Damien students have kept the tale alive through word of mouth. With every story that is communicated through word of mouth, there are bound to be some miscommunications. Mr. Freude actually had a much different version of the legend than Mr. Pridgeon. According to Mr. Freude, the person who hung themselves on the stairs of the 400 building wasn’t a student, but a teacher. He also said that it occurred in the 40's or 50's. Either way, if one of the stories are true, there is a small possibility that the 400 building hosts a spirit. Personally, I have spent lots of time in the 400 building, especially the journalism room. I have walked the same stairs where the incident allegedly occurred too many times to count. I have never experienced anything out of the ordinary. However, this might just be because I wasn’t around at night. Mr. Sims, regarding the potential supernatural activity in the 400 building, stated, “I was here one evening and kept seeing a light flickering in the 400 building. When I went over to the building there was no one there.” Another Damien faculty member, who would like to remain anonymous, had an interesting experience in the 400 building. This teacher was grading papers over the weekend late at night and heard doors slamming upstairs. They knew they were there all by themselves. This led them to believe that there was a ghost or spirit present. Mr. Pridgeon, who spends the majority of his time at Damien teaching in the 400 building, stated, “It’s hard to believe that if someone died here they wouldn’t stay here. However, these buildings are old. You are going to hear things all the time. The question is whether it's supernatural or not.”
The 400 building isn’t the only place on campus that’s suspicious. Damien High School has been around forever. There are some places on campus that students, and even faculty members, don’t know about. Supposedly, there are tunnels under the Senior quad. In a 2013 YouTube documentary published by a group of students in Mr. Pridgeon’s Cinematic Arts class called Damien Myths and Legends, Mr. Jiminez stated that he and Mr. Maricic have been trying to find the tunnels for years. Mr. Jiminez believes that a long time ago, the tunnels were utilized to run wires to various buildings. It was rumored that the entrance to these tunnels were in the teachers lounge, but Mr. Jiminez believes they are in a classroom. No teachers have experienced anything unusual in the quad, but some students have. Devin Escobedo, a Senior at Damien and captain of the football team, reported an odd story that suggests that there may be some odd energy around the quad.
The Varsity football team was in the quad to hear a speech after a game. One of the windows in the 100 building was open. Devin, and the entire team, saw the lights flicker in the room. Soon after, the window shut on its own. The team, frightened, ran away from the quad. Although the team believed that the quad was the source of the unusual activity, there is a higher chance that it was from the 100 building. The hallway down the stairs in the 100 building is commonly referred to as “the Dungeon” by teachers around campus. A faculty member, who would like to remain anonymous, stated, “I saw a shadow by room 108 when I was walking through ‘The Dungeon’. I felt like someone was glaring at me. I’m pretty sure that no one was around then.” The DRC is another place where faculty members have had numerous odd experiences. One night, Ms. Zamanis had library duty and was prepping to close the DRC around 6:00. It was during the winter, so it was very dark outside. “Before closing the DRC, you have to shut the door, shut the lights off, and walk down the stairs to the faculty lounge,” she stated. “The stairs in the back are old and made of wood. It is obvious when someone is on them. I heard what sounded like two footsteps coming up the stairs. After, I turned to see who it was and no one was there. I went to leave and heard more footsteps. I stopped, said ‘hello’ and no one answered. Once I shut the door to the library I heard more footsteps.” Another Damien faculty member, who would like to remain anonymous, also had a weird experience in the DRC. They stated, “ I went down to faculty lounge to deactivate the alarm for the DRC. Just before I got to the alarm keypad, the chairs sounded like they were moving across the floor upstairs. It was impossible for anyone to be up there because the alarm was still activated. I went upstairs and no one was there.” There is no known reason as to why the 100 building might be haunted.
Besides the alleged ghost in the 400 building, why would Damien be haunted? In the 2013 documentary, Damien Myths and Legends, Mr. Nolte stated that he heard, according to legend, that the school was built on top of an ancient Indian burial ground. He had heard that it was located by the football field or spartan hall, but wasn’t sure. The spirits of multiple Native Americans who want vengeance on Americans for taking their land would be the most obvious source of paranormal activity, if the stories are true.
Who knows if parts of the campus are haunted or not. I believe there is nothing haunted about Damien, but know that there will never be a definitive answer. There is no way to prove the absence of paranormal activity or the presence of paranormal activity. The next generations to come will relay the stories, so the legends will never die. Maybe someone will find this article in 100 years and the legend will be sparked again. In the future, more and more stories will arise, leading us to think the supernatural runs wild around campus at night. For now, and probably forever, the answers are unknown.