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Friday, September 14, 2012

Is the old Sanger High School haunted by a pair of star crossed lovers?


Apparently schools are a popular haunting spot for star crossed lovers. There's a story that the old Sanger High School (now the Washington Academic Middle School) has a pair of ghosts that haunt its theater area. Sometime in the 1990's there was a young couple madly in love like only teenagers could be. The girl's parents were very strict and she hid the fact that she had a boyfriend from them for several months as she knew they would not have approved. One day her mother finally found about the boyfriend and demanded the daughter break up with him immediately and never see him again. Defying her mother and apparently taking inspiration from Romeo and Juliet, she met her boyfriend at the high school and both committed suicide in the theater by hanging themselves.

Why they chose the theater to take their lives is never said. Perhaps it was their favorite place to spend time, or maybe they met there and it held a special place in their heart. What is known is that both ghosts have been seen in the theater since their deaths. The girl is usually seen on the second floor near the area where the balcony used to be located. A more gruesome vision of her has also been seen hanging from a rope in front of the stage. As for her boyfriend, he is usually seen near the main entrance to the theater. No one knows why he is seen here, some think he may be waiting for his love for some unknown reason.

Now whether this story has any merit to it or not is hard to say. Someone e-mailed me the story, saying they had heard it when they went to the old high school. I did the obligatory internet searches, but it's not like Google is going to find me a website with this story on it (well I guess it will now once their bots scan this page). Hopefully someone reading this will know something and it will be able to add to the story. Still an interesting story and adds yet another legend to the area.

17 comments:

Michael said...

Thought I would add this to the story. When I posted this link on my Facebook page two friends of mine who worked in law enforcement in Sanger commented on the story. They had never heard of it but did say that a security guard did commit suicide in the school and for a while after "strange noises" were heard. There was also mention of a girl seen hanging from the rafters (nothing more was said, trying to find out more as I type this). Could these two incidents somehow have been morphed into the story that I was told?

JohnJayJay said...

Would seem a little too fantastical to be true. Too scripted. I would think if two teens hung themselves in a local high school, this would be the stuff of well known history and legend...as opposed to an obscure rumor.

Anonymous said...

I attended SHS in the late 1980's and still live in Sanger. I've never heard this version about the theater being haunted. Two kids killing themselves at the high school would be a story that would run the Sanger grapevine like wild fire. Everyone would have heard about it. I can't say it's true or false, but it seems like a pretty sensational story to have never heard of when you live in Sanger.
I do recall a teacher telling our class once about the theater stage being haunted. She used to work in the Drama department and before her time there was supposedly a student who hung himself or was accidentally hung. She said weird things would happen during rehearsals and production. I do recall her saying she felt there was a protective presence. Someone almost fell off a ladder and felt as if someone grabbed them so they wouldn't fall but no one was there. She did not see any ghosts.
I have no idea if her story was true either and I never heard any other students ever talk about the theater being haunted.
I really respected that particular teacher but she could have been pulling our legs. Her version seems more believable than one about star crossed lovers pulling a Romeo & Juliet in the school theater. Do I believe any version? Probably not. But I do know I wouldn't want to be on that stage in the dark. It used to be pretty creepy back there. But I'm sure it's only because it was so old.

Anonymous said...

I also attended the old SHS, from 92 thru 96. I heard these stories, but the incident supposedly happened a long time before, I am assuming 30's or 40's. The story went that there was a tragic hanging, I do not remember if it was accidental or intentional. After the incident, strange things would happen. There is supposed to be an entire dressing room below that stage where the hanging took place, which was closed off and never used again (and in true ghost story tradition, the rope was supposedly never removed and is still there). Would be interesting if someone was able to go and do some investigating though!

Unknown said...

Dang, if that rope is still there, it should be exhumed and removed.

Marshall S. said...

I went to Sanger High in the 90's and I live in Sanger now and I have never heard of it.

Anonymous said...

My older sister and I both attended SHS in the '90s. And the theater was always shrouded in mystery. We heard the story of the hanging in the closed off dressing rooms and she even had a few encounters with the spirit, affectionately referred to as "Eddie". He did seem to be a benevolent presence though, always turning lights back on before anyone could get hurt in the dark. The theater also had these wonderful old spiral staircases hidden behind the grilles on either side of the stage and the balcony had been taken down because it was an earthquake hazard, but the doors leading to it were still there on the second floor. Truly, it was a fascinating building!

Anonymous said...

I go to that school now I'm a 8th grader and I heard of it today by one of my teachers I think its true not to sure

Anonymous said...

I attended the old high school in the 90s, class of 94. Never heard of two hanging themselves, but I do remember something about the security guard and noises!

Anonymous said...

I went to WAMS in 2015. I was an 8th grader and I was always in trouble. And since I was always in the office, I was just curious to ask one of the secrateries if the school happens to be haunted. She didn't tell me Yes or No . She just told me of the story she "Knows" . Whatever. Any ways Felina ( the secatery at WAMS) told me not to tell anyone but that there was a boy and a girl that were together and she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend and that they loved each other Sooo much that they both hung them selves on the stage in the theater because the girl wasn't allowed to date. They called them Romeo and Juliet . She also told me that the boys name was Rojelio and I forgot the girl name . But yeah I was an 8th grader when she told me witch was last year cause right now it's 2016 and I got suspended for telling some 6th graders this story. So I'm guessing it's true or wtf. I don't know but I think it is or else why would I get suspended right? Anyways it was FELINA who told me . She is fat and has glasses and she's a bitch . :)

Anonymous said...

I went to WAMS in 2015. I was an 8th grader and I was always in trouble. And since I was always in the office, I was just curious to ask one of the secrateries if the school happens to be haunted. She didn't tell me Yes or No . She just told me of the story she "Knows" . Whatever. Any ways Felina ( the secatery at WAMS) told me not to tell anyone but that there was a boy and a girl that were together and she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend and that they loved each other Sooo much that they both hung them selves on the stage in the theater because the girl wasn't allowed to date. They called them Romeo and Juliet . She also told me that the boys name was Rojelio and I forgot the girl name . But yeah I was an 8th grader when she told me witch was last year cause right now it's 2016 and I got suspended for telling some 6th graders this story. So I'm guessing it's true or wtf. I don't know but I think it is or else why would I get suspended right? Anyways it was FELINA who told me . She is fat and ugly and fat has glasses lmao 4 eyez bitch!! X)

Holly said...

So, I went to Sanger High from 1990-1994 and nothing of the sort happened while I was there, my siblings were there until 1997 & 1998 respectively and a couple of cousins until 1999, and none of them ever reported anything like that happening while they were there. I don't personally believe it. It would have been buzzed about all over town if it had. I think it's just a rumor started by someone for whatever reason.

Anonymous said...

I went to that school recently and I heard that a janitor hung himself in a room behind the theater and if the door to the room opens the whole school is cursed...

Anonymous said...

I went to that school recently and I heard that a janitor hung himself in a room behind the theater and if the door to the room opens the whole school is cursed...

Unknown said...

I go there now im 11yrs old

Unknown said...

There is a room there labeled "the other room" im a 6th grader

Anonymous said...

There was a satanic ritual dont go there its cursed the restrooms the whole school