LPOHS hosts paranormal investigation
SANDPOINT — Is it possible that Lake Pend Oreille High School is housing more than students?
For believers in spirits and the paranormal, the answer just might be yes. Just ask the ghost-hunting McCommas family, including father Kent, mother Tonya and daughters Katie and Kieri. The four attracted a large crowd of LPOHS students May 23 as Kieri presented the findings of an investigation they conducted for her senior project.
“I really wanted to do this for my project because I probably won’t get a chance to do it again,” Kieri said. “I’m going to become a nurse and probably won’t have as much time for it.”
The investigation took place over a weekend in late March with the help of fellow team member Will Shapper and resulted in hours upon hours of footage. After setting up all their equipment, which includes infrared night vision cameras, two DVRs for recording, voice recorders, motion sensors, proximity sensors that pick up electromagnetic fields and more. They also went through the empty buildings during the night with full-spectrum handheld camcorders. According to the McCommas, a paranormal investigation requires you to be thorough and precise, oftentimes taking multiple photos and shots of the same locations to confirm that something spooky has been caught on camera.
After the recording was complete, it was time to review the results. According to Kent McCommas, there are a number of signs to look for in recordings when ghost hunting. One of the biggest visual clues, no doubt familiar to followers of ghost hunting reality shows, are circles of light most frequently called orbs.
“Some people call them orbs, but we call them light anomalies,” Katie McCommas said.
Sure enough, several shots showed these telltale anomalies as they reviewed the footage. Skeptics often identify these lights as dust particles or bugs. The McCommas counter this with a shot captured in the LPOHS library, where a light appears to pass through a bookshelf.
Another creepy addition to the investigation are audio recordings that attempt to pick up mutterings from beyond through white noise. Some of the recordings were soft and difficult to make out, but others were clearer, including audio captured in teacher Tom Pagliasotti’s room where a voice seemed to say, “Don’t let go, Tom.” According to the McCommas, one of the voices they captured even sounded like it was speaking in French.
Perhaps the most unnerving shot in Kieri’s collection of evidence was captured in an empty room with a light source at the far end. After a moment, an unidentified shadow passes quickly in front of the light source.
Of course, not everyone is a believer. When Kieri presented her senior project a few weeks ago, she encountered a range of reactions.
“Some were scared, and some were really shocked, but some people didn’t believe it at all,” she said.
After having a strange experience late at night near the Cedar Street Bridge in 2011, however, Kent McCommas doesn’t need anymore convincing. Since then, he and his family have conducted paranormal investigations of their own and aim to continue the practice.
The family is interested in collecting data about North Idaho’s strange and unexplained phenomena and welcome fellow enthusiasts or the curious. Those who wish to can contact them at tribal.spirit@yahoo.com or 597-7363.