LHS Ghost Club hunts for supernatural activity, analyzes data

LACONIA — If readers think the hallways of Laconia High School are empty because it’s summertime, they should think again. After all, the LHS Ghost Club confirmed the presence of a spirit in the math wing.

“You don’t believe in it until you experience it,” said Jessica Marcoux, social studies teacher at Laconia High, and adviser of the school’s Ghost Club.

Using specialized equipment like EVP, or electronic voice phenomena, recorders, to measure electromagnetic fields, or items as simple as a motion-activated cat toy or camera, the students explored the building, patiently waiting for activity to happen. And then it did.

Capturing the experience on camera, the students were able to go back to their classroom and analyze their data.

The group discovered the school’s hallways and classrooms were, in fact, haunted.

‘What it’s about’

Twenty to 30 students filled Marcoux’s classroom during a May visit from The Laconia Daily Sun. Ghost enthusiasts, and those a little more suspicious, relaxed, filling every seat, chatter reverberating off the walls and windows.

“We have a good mix of believers and non-believers who want to see what it’s about,” she said.

The projector displayed a photograph, a masterpiece for the club and highlight of their efforts. It’s their evidence — and they’re proud of it.

“It was epic,” said Marcoux.

The photo displays an eerie scene, a shadow of someone in a dress or skirt, standing in a math classroom, taken by one of the students. Think of Peter Pan’s shadow in the classic film — that’s what students caught on camera, but they couldn’t figure out how.

“You can see the shadow figure,” Marcoux wrote in a follow-up email. “We tried to re-create this photo and could not re-create the shadow.”

It can be a painstaking process to verify data and run experiments, but the students seemed to enjoy it.

“You can’t turn on ghost activity,” Marcoux said. “We’re waiting for things to happen. It’s why we dress comfy.”

‘All different views’

Ghost Club is not religious in any way. Instead, the students, with Marcoux as a cheerleader, are chasing energy, and trying to validate data with facts and proof.

“We try to find ghosts, and learn about them in general,” said Axo Marcotte, a student member of the club. “We learn about them, and find proof that they’re there.”

“I just tell students at the beginning of the club that we respect all different views, and this isn't a religious club,” Marcoux wrote. “We are focused on finding evidence through our tools," which she described as photos and an EMF detector, which picks up on electromagnetic fields.

Students had stories to share about their experiences with the supernatural. Everyone in the club is drawn to it for one reason or another.

“I used to talk to something in my brother’s closet,” said Sherry Hafford, now a senior.

“I joined because I’m really into ghosts,” said Marcotte, now a junior. “My dad used to go through old abandoned houses.”

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A student reporter from the Local News Lab at Laconia High School contributed to this story. Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.