By: Chelsea Dekock

As the Halloween season passes, the talk of different urban legends have been roaming amongst the hallways at Springfield High School. However, the one that really stands out is the notorious Rachel. For years, Rachel has been tormenting the SHS Senators with her twisted pranks. Sophia Bommarito, a sophomore, recalls her frightening experience with the spirit. “Last year during the volleyball regional game, my friend Mia and I were gonna get a snack from the vending machine. The commons area was completely dark. Before we grabbed a snack from the vending machine we were talking about Rachel. Two seconds later we heard something fall down behind us. We looked back and there seemed to be a silhouette of a tall girl. After that, the vending machines went completely dark, so we ran out of there.”  

Although the majority of students have complained about the tyranny she has brought upon them, generations of SHS alumni have interesting stories of the eerie feeling they have felt throughout the school. In the boiler room, Rachel’s gravestone remains– despite the removal of the cemetery. According to a website in the “Ultimate Unexplained” in 1983, while adding an elevator, her gravestone was found during construction. When workers struck a stone while excavating the shaft, they realized it was a grave monument. The only words on the stone are “Our Daughter” and “cut down but not destroyed.”  

As far as we know, Rachel has been here throughout the entirety of Springfield High School’s story. However, as Springfield High enters a new era with the incoming renovations, a question remains, “What will happen to Rachel’s grave?” Ben Kramer, one of SHS’s most prominent alumni, also has his own suspicions about Rachel’s grave. “Rachel’s gravestone was already disturbed when they originally dug the elevator shaft, so they actually had to change the plan to not dig out the front as much as they wanted to because they were worried about the dead bodies still out there. Once renovations start, where Rachel was will not be disturbed. However, their plans are to close off the tunnels and possibly move the elevator to an interior stairwell. Eventually, they will start messing with all the places she will haunt.” 

Valentina Osgood, a sophomore, talks about how she feels about potentially closing off the tunnels to Rachel’s grave. “I feel like it would be cruel to close off the tunnels to her grave after all these years. Other generations should be able to experience the stories about Rachel and be able to see her grave. These renovations are definitely a positive thing for this school, it’s just hard to imagine such a prominent part of Springfield history to potentially become forgotten.”

There is no denying that Rachel’s presence has been a huge part of SHS tradition. All that is left to ponder is– will Rachel’s story be forgotten?

Photo Courtesy of Simone Dolan