Is BJHS Haunted?

BJHS is Haunted?!

So many haunted backstories and creepy tales of an underground cafeteria and a ghost that bangs on a closet. This begs the question, “Is Brea Jr. High, really haunted?”

The Dungeon

Ms. Bott has a very interesting story about a haunted teachers' lounge known as “The Dungeon." This teachers' lounge was underground and was kept by a creaky gate. “One day,” says Bott, “ we walked into the lounge during snack.” They say they heard loud banging and movement as if they were moving the classroom around. Bott continues, “There was banging and yelling, and our first thought was how much we hoped those kids weren’t in our classes!” Once the bell rang they investigated what was happening above in that crazy classroom. They looked inside and there was nobody in the classroom. It appeared to be a classroom for storage. So, what or who do you think was in the classroom? Or maybe it's just the dungeon’s curse haunting the lounge? 

The Secret Cafeteria

To find this spooky location one would need to head down these tiny steps, barely long enough for one shoe. Once they are all the way down, they are met with a suspicious smell of decaying cardboard and wet ventilation. One would look ahead at the serving window and the kitchenette and to the left is the dungeon. While you're in the eating area and anything beyond there, you hear your own footsteps and voices. When you enter the old lounge (the dungeon), you hear banging and stomping. When we exited the cafeteria, we asked both Mrs. Sampson and Mr. Morrill if they were doing something upstairs. They both said they were doing some silent work with no movement. Mrs. Sampson says, “We were doing silent work. The only noise we would have made was getting up for highlighters!” Mr. Morrill also claimed they had made no noise and had a TA as a witness. 

Once one would peer into the kitchenette, they would see that it is so small, only one person could fit (even though three people at a time had to fit). In the cafeteria area, there were boxes and stacked shelves tall of old yearbooks and retired teachers’ things. Mr. Lamp says, ”I was here on a Saturday, all alone. I was getting ready for Saturday school, walking down the hallway when suddenly, I felt a *WHOOSH* like somebody hitting my back even though there was no one here. Like a ghost hit my back!”

They said they retired the underground cafeteria because of a leakage and a population spurt, but do you think this is factual? Or is it the ghost of Mr. Adams haunting it?  

Haunted In The Classrooms?!

Many teachers have spooky experiences with their classrooms, haunted backstories and more. Mrs. Sampson tells stories about mysterious winds closing her door and birds flying in her room on gloomy days. Mr. Morrill has many stories to tell. “Thirteen years ago,“ says Morrill, ”all of my students were doing independent work. All of the sudden, one specific row of desks looked up at the same time with bulged, possessed-looking eyes and asked if I had heard that scream.” He explained that he had heard nothing as well as the rest of the class. “They had definitely heard a scream and it was not their imagination. I told them it was most likely something in the hallway.” But that row was the only one to hear anything. He also gives a story about a teacher in the underground lounge that felt a shiver sensation. She tried to get up but was forced down by the feeling. He recalls that same thing happening to him as well. 

So, with all of these stories in mind, do you believe that this school that is at least 100 years old to be haunted? Or was it just their imagination?

Written by: Kaylee Ecarma

Edited by: Kairi Tang

9/29/25