Myths Haunt Morton - Haunted Illinois

Myths Haunt Morton
April 1, 2011
By Samantha Quinones
my.hsj.log

Morton East High School is the focus of paranormal activity and exaggeration.
Through the pass of time true events have become sensationalized myths of ghost appearances in the school, yet
these myths posses a certain amount of truth. The most notorious story takes place in the historical Chold auditorium.
"I heard the theater director died in the auditorium before the opening night of a play," senior Carlos Vargas said.
From most accounts the auditorium is haunted. Mr. George John Drew was the auditorium manager and art teacher at Morton East in 1975. The day before the opening night of West Side Story he died suddenly of a heart attack while taking a
shower in his home.
"He was a great guy and really good to the students," according toMr. Tom Rusnak who held the same position for many years following Mr. Drew's death.
According to Mr. Rusnak, about a decade after Mr. Drew's death two students, Bill and Keith, snuck backstage to wait for the start of a concert. As they waited they saw a man walking around the corner, stair directly at them, and turn back. They asked him if he needed any help but the man did not answer. Then Bill and Keith both ran after the man in different directions but found nobody. The
description of the man they saw and details of his distinctive walk was a dead-on match toMr. Drew.
Also, his picture in the school yearbook had a black backdrop which is strange because all the pictures were taken in a white backdrop that year.
"The spirit of Mr. Drew is alive and well in the auditorium but never would harm a student," Mr. Rusnak asserts.
A lesser known story about the auditorium is that in 1970 a man working on the rails of the auditorium died.
"He was a rigging expert installing a new rope when he had a runaway and tried to stop it, he was found dead the next day," Mr. Rusnak said.
Rusnak admits to having felt a cold presence on the rails of the auditorium.
Another highly popular story is about the haunted old pool.
"I heard this girl was alone in the old pool and fell into the pool as it was draining creating a whirlpool and drowned," senior Candido Franco said.
The old pool, located in the first floor, was the scene of an accidental death. According to Principal Zarate a young man, not girl, died in the old pool.
"The student entered the pool alone without permission, slipped and hit his head becoming unconscious and drowned," Principal Zarate said.
Many students believe the student's haunting presence led to the closing of the pool. The reality is that the old pool was closed because of the construction of the annex building in 1968.
People at East even assert that there is a haunted mirror in one of our classrooms. The oval shaped white mirror in room 226 is said to be possessed.
"I heard it was haunted. One day when the teacher was not there, I decided to stare into the mirror and I thought I saw something. It might have been my mind playing tricks on me, but I got freaked out and left the room," senior Alejandro Trujillo said.
The mirror was owned by Mr. S who was a teacher for over 30 years and throughout his teaching career taught in that room. Less than a month after his retirement Mr. S died of a heart attack in his home. Students report to have seen something paranormal while looking into the mirror. They infer that it is Mr. S's ghost.
Other people who have witnessed paranormal activity in the school building have been the security guards. One day while on duty a security guard saw a lady all dressed in black by the cafeteria in the hallway going towards the auditorium. The security guard walked over to women in black to see if it was a fellow security guard, but as soon as she got there the woman vanished.
"I screamed and ran back to my desk," the security guard said.
In another situation the security guard was walking under the stage in the auditorium when she heard a knock on a door. She thought there might be someone locked in the room so she opened the door and saw no one there. She then closed the door and knocked on it and something knocked back. Then, she knocked in a rhythm and something knocked back in the
same rhythm. She got scared and ran out of the auditorium.
"I have never believed in ghost but the next day after that I went to church and prayed. I got some holy water and spilled it all around the auditorium," the security guard said.
The facts concerning our favorite haunted stories and their not so known facts have been
revealed. Think twice when something strange happens around the school because it might one of the school's resident ghosts causing the mischief, or a figment of your imagination..