This past weekend the cheerleaders went to the national competition in Dallas, where a season of practice and hard work landed them fourth place in the small varsity all-girl division.
“It was disappointing because I knew our team was a first-place team,” said senior Emma Bellus.
Freshman Jensen Stregiel agreed with Bellus.
“I have mixed emotions. I’m sad that it’s over but I’m happy I had the experience,” said Stregiel.
Team members expressed that the fourth-place finish was a memorable part of the season.
“I feel good about how we did,” said junior Taylor Rice. “We all tried our hardest and I think that’s what matters. The memories that we all got to share together means more to me than a national title.”
Stregiel will be on the team next year and has already decided she is going to prepare differently for next season by working harder and focusing on making everything perfect. Rice, who will be a senior next year, expressed her excitement for next year’s opportunity.
“Next year I plan to lead my team by being positive all the time, helping the underclassmen if they need it, and making sure everyone is prepared as much as possible.”
By far, I think Dance Marathon is the most anticipated event of the year.
When our student body is dancing and having fun at FCDM our ears hear all these stories about the money we are raising to help out the individuals that benefit from Riley. There are different outlets Riley participates in besides the Dance Marathon. One of the outlets that I benefit from is Camp Riley. Camp Riley is a place where children with a wide range of disabilities can go camping without their parents.
At Riley there is wide range of activities for kids to do while they are there. Some of the activities are arts and crafts, archery, and nature walks. At each activity the campers are encouraged to try to be as independent as possible but help is there if we need it. I think what makes Camp Riley so different is that most of their counselors are medical students. The counselors get handson practice with many different types of medical issues. These in turn help them immensely with understanding their field of work.
For me, Riley is a place to get away from my parents. This is definitely the biggest perk for me. Being at camp makes me realize that I am not the only one out in the world that wants to experience opportunities that I usually would not be able to, because some are just too physically challenging. We all struggle with the same obstacle at Riley, which is not being able to experience the things we want to. Riley lets us see that we are not alone in our struggles.
When I was at Riley, my favorite activities were archery and talking to my counselors. The feeling of having a weapon in my hands was very liberating. Also, occasionally, when I hit a target, I get excited too. Archery made me feel empowered by the feeling of being able to sit down and shoot something that is extremely powerful. Talking to counselors was hands down the most enjoyable thing. When campers are there, we develop and grow relationships while at camp with the counselors because most of them are near our age. I also enjoy our conversations because they let me know what college is like and what I need to expect. So I guess you could say that not only are they mentors, but they are friends too.
Who ever thought a couple dance moves could could help so many people smile.
Waverly Hills Sanatarium is located on 4400 Paralee Lane in Louisville, Kentucky. At first sight, it appears to be an old abandoned building, but its walls hold a much more gruesome history.
In the 1900s, Waverly Hills had the highest Tuberculosis death rate in the country, almost 63,000. One of the most infamous features of the sanatorium was the “Body Chute,” which was built to store the bodies of deceased patients. The chute originally stretched a frightening 525 feet underground, a death tunnel where bodies would be transported on carts to the bottom of the chute, and family members could get the patient’s body or have it cremated.
Sophomore Hunter Hampton has visited Waverly Hills Sanatorium and strongly believes some of the deceased patients are still lurking the dark corridors.
Hampton not only visited Waverly Hills; he spent the night there.
“All night I swear I heard children whispering. I’d hear kids’ laughter. I took pictures throughout the night, and a lot of them had those white orbs in the pictures. If everyone would visit some of these places, they would probably change their mind,” said Hampton.
In 1910, Waverly Hills Sanatorium was built in Louisville, Kentucky as a Tuberculosis hospital and recovery center. Though Waverly was intended for good measures, there were rumors that hinted otherwise.
“I am convinced Waverly Hills is haunted,” said Paige McKinley, a woman who recently toured the building.
Unknown figure caught by Paige Mckinley, a guest on the Waverly Hills tour. Photo by Paige Mckinley.
It was said that the reason for keeping this method of disposal so inconspicuous was for the patients’ sakes; they did not want the patients to lose hope due to the large number of hearses driving up or the piles of bodies accumulating.
When I took the tour, it was a warm summer night around dusk. It seemed as the sun dipped lower in the sky and the tour progressed, the many once laughable ghost stories became more and more realistic. We had the opportunity to venture down into the depths of the ominous body chute, which was just as bleak and morbid as it had been described. I trekked down the tunnel, water seeping from the walls and the air becoming stale and humid. The idea that thousands of corpses had been in this very spot was disturbing, and the silence was unsettling. I wanted to learn more about the patients and their life at Waverly.
The tour guides had expressed that the methods of treatment were not only obsolete, but were sometimes brutal, painful operations that often resulted in death.
One of the typical treatments at the time was shock therapy, where the patients would be strapped down, and the doctors would “shock” the sickness out of them. The actual room used for the shock therapies and other archaic and experimental operations are visited in the tour.
When further research about Waverly was conducted, negative aspects shared on the tour seemed to be somewhat sugarcoated. There were reports of patient abuse, staff suicides, and child seclusion.
The children had to sleep and play in a specific sector of the building; on the top floor, a room with windows that was adjacent to the room for the mentally handicapped. There are many reports about hearing children’s voices and laughter in this sector. Another strange encounter is that on occasion, if a ball is rolled to one end of a hallway, it will roll back to where you are.
There is a room in Waverly Hills that is known for it’s dark story and stands as a twisted legend; Room 502. It is on the top floor, a room simply used for staff maintenance and storage, but it holds a deadly past of its own.
Waverly had to be quarantined, so it was like a small town of its own, gossip and all. A nurse supposedly got pregnant out of wedlock, and soon enough the whole town knew about it. She later hanged herself in room 502. Then, even more surprisingly, a nurse who worked in room 502 committed suicide by jumping from the top of the building, right outside of the room. The reasons still remain unknown. Coincidence. . .or not?
Waverly Hills Sanatorium arguably remains one of the most questioned and distinctively haunted places to visit; however, New Albany has its fair share of paranormal activity as well.
Teachers and students share even more paranormal beliefs
By Bryce Romig
The Old Central Hotel, now known as Habana Blues, is widely known for its ghostly encounters. Many customers and guests complain of seeing a small girl running around the building, mainly the third floor. The young girl was said to have killed by a car accident right outside of the hotel. Many suicides, murders, and crimes have happened on the third floor, according to local historian Gregg Seidl.
Orbs can be seen on the top left and right of the photo which was taken on the third floor of the Habana Blues restaurant. Photo by Bryce Romig.
Paranormal activity also impacts the lives of FC students.
Junior Emily Shumate shared her experience with a paranormal entity.
“My mom and I will hear a kid crying when there are no kids in my house. I’ll see things go past me when I’m home alone. Sometimes when I’m in bed, I can feel something sitting at the end of it. I consider a ghost to be a spirit who was not ready to pass on,” said Shumate.
Not everyone has always been a firm believer of spiritual existence.
“I was a skeptic for years, until I actually saw a ghost. That made me a strong believer,” said senior Gavin Sodders.
Sodders went on to tell a story that switched his views.
“My friend’s house is haunted and one day, we literally saw a ghost. I walked out of his basement I saw it turn and walk around to the other side of the wall and out the garage door. When I looked a few seconds later, it was gone. Most of my friends have either heard it or seen something in that house. We’ve seen some unexplainable things.”
Instructional aide Amy Preston has experienced paranormal encounters of her own.
“I have had a personal experience. I believe in my case they are loved ones whose spirits remain to guide me and look over me in this life. I also believe that there are other spirits which are trapped here due to the violent or untimely nature of their deaths.”
Chemistry teacher Jennifer Gohmann is another believer of paranormal activity.
“I believe that there is a great deal of energy in the universe and that this energy could be the cause of spirits or abnormal occurrences.”
Gohman also decided to share some of her eerie experiences.
“Some people would consider my experiences creepy, I just think that they are annoying. From my research I have experienced a type of dream that continues when you are almost awake. In these instances I wake up thinking that there is a person standing at the foot of my bed or in the hall outside my room. On several occasions it seems to be a man in a hooded sweatshirt, one time it appeared to be a female soldier standing outside of my son’s room.”
Breaking away from something that we are a part of or a certain group of friends that we talk with and hang around is hard to do. It’s almost like we are attached to them like a lock to a locker.
Do not do something just because your friends are doing it. Do it because you absolutely breathe it and love it. For example, I know a lot of girls in high school participate in dance, but they get so attached to their dance team that they are apprehensive to have their own dreams and goals.
In this world right now, so many people are not happy. So many people focus on the negative. We become so consumed with everyday life that we become who people want us to be and we go through some days miserable because we are not being our own role model.
My goal in life is to start my own modeling agency for girls and boys with disabilities. I want them to be able to break their mold of looking at themselves with their disability. Instead, I want them to look at themselves as fierce and fabulous individuals. I want them to be able to look at their pictures with them out of their chairs or contraptions and be able to say, “This disability does not and will not define me.”
Though that is my goal, I want other individuals to be able to say to themselves,”Just because I am in this job or I am in this position does not mean I have to do this for the rest of my life.” I want people to be happy when they wake up every day ready to go to their job.
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