Courtesy Photo: The members of Ghost Hunters International
Rachel Decker
The Paw Print
Shannon Sylvia, member of the TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) Team from Ghost Hunters International paid a visit to Adams State College last Thursday. Sylvia took time out of her busy ghost-hunting schedule to give students a look inside of some of the things she does for a living.
The presentation started out with Sylvia showing the group of nearly sixty guests an hour-long slideshow of some of the most notable paranormal pictures and evidence from around the world. Guests got to see apparitions of some famous ghosts, including the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. Sylvia also shared with her guests some pictures taken at her house that had unusual orbs and a strange white mist.
Along with the pictures, Sylvia shared with the group ten EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recordings captured by the TAPS team. Some said things like, “get out” or “leave now”, but there was one that said, “Shannon Sylvia we don’t want you here”. It was definitely a special treat from Sylvia, which all the guests enjoyed.
“I got goose bumps,” Maria Martinez said. “When that voice said her name, I almost screamed!”
And, just for good laughs, Sylvia threw in a gag video. She claimed it was evidence of a UFO sighting, however at the end of the video an image popped out and scared nearly the entire audience.
“So uncool,” Allinah Garcia laughed. “I wasn’t ready for that at all. I’d leaned forward to get a better look, and I really shouldn’t have.”
Another special treat Sylvia gave the crowd was the chance to go on an actual ghost hunt after the presentation. The hunt took an hour, and students went to places like the third floor of the Student Union Building and Conour Hall. Sylvia set up a K2 meter (which catches electromagnetic fields), she had a voice recorder going to catch any EVP’s, and she had lightning rods to catch energy any spirits might give out.
The guests were given the chance to ask questions for the EVP session, which many enjoyed.
“I hope we caught something,” Antonio Meraz said with a grin. “How cool would that be? But I don’t think I could ever be alone in the SUB building if we caught a voice.”
After the third floor, Sylvia led the group over to Conour hall, where she set up another EVP session, more lightning rods, and the K2 sensor. Many students had no idea Conour Hall was haunted, so it was a learning experience as well as a fun trip.
“I’m definitely not gonna be able to sleep now,” one girl commented.
All in all, the visit from Shannon Sylvia was one of the best activities so far this year. It’s piqued the interest of students, and more and more are looking around for the many acclaimed ghost stories of Adams State. Sylvia has promised to send any evidence she finds back to the GAB committee, and everyone is anxiously awaiting the results of the EVP sessions.
“I really hope we caught something,” Carter Michaels, a senior, said. “I want to know if anything was in there with us.”
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