By Emma Shortall
Multimedia Editor

Saint Michael, according to the St. Michael’s College website, is “a spiritual warrior in the battle of good versus evil.” One would think that our college would be far from haunted. However, stories from students would say otherwise.

“My freshman year, I came into work [in McCarthy], I just needed to paint the floor…the whole booth and [John Devlin’s] office dark, like pitch black, and that’s where the light board is, that’s where all the controls are for different cues and things like that with all the lights on stage. So I came in, turned the work lights that we have here on and started mixing the paint to paint it black. For some reason the paint was just refusing to mix together like it was just oil, it was so weird I couldn’t get it to work… I come out and the lights are cycling through cues like someone’s pressing the buttons up there. I was like, that’s weird, who else is here, no one else is here. There are two buttons backstage that is supposed to take control if anything is happening in the booth. So, I hit the take control button and it stopped cycling through those cues and it starts to go to one spotlight to the center of the stage where I need to work…I’m like real freaked out at this point because that should be a kill switch, that should stop anything that’s happening… I come out and I’m like ‘Sister Sarah, please don’t mess with me I just need to work, please leave me alone, it’s going to be okay, we’re going to be okay’, and all of a sudden all of the cues just start rapid firing, like one after another.” – Kate Bell, ’20

“We decided to do a fun night sleeping over in St. Eds, because why not …the night was normal, nothing happened at night. But, early in the morning, it was still dark …I heard the door open and close, and I woke up and looked but there was no one there, not a soul. I was like okay, that’s weird, and fell back asleep. In the morning, we were cleaning up, and [my friend] had a ring on, it was a snake that went in a circle, it didn’t completely close, it was open-ended on each side. We were cleaning up and she was like ‘Taylor do you see my ring?’ I was like ‘No I don’t see it, I don’t know where it is.’ We were looking everywhere for it, we laughed, packed up everything… All of a sudden I was like something’s itchy. I reached down, and I was itching, and wrapped around my bra strap was her ring as she was telling the story about her missing ring. I hadn’t changed my bra that morning, but I had changed my shirt, I had put on a new shirt. Never once had I noticed that the ring was on my bra strap until she was telling the story.” – Taylor Donnelly, Resident Director

“Before I left for the airport I locked my door to my room [in Townhouse 215] and shut it, and that’s how I thought I left it. I came back and went upstairs, and my door was wide open as if it had never been shut, but the door was still locked…[Earlier that day my roommate] Katie came home and said that it was open when she had left for work that morning, but then it had closed when [my other roommates] Ivory and Talia had gotten up. By the time I had gotten back from the airport, it opened back up.” – Emily Koswick, ’20

“Random lights [in the Theater] started turning on. It was the shop light turning on, that’s a literal switch and there was no one in there. The shop light turns on, and the loading dock light does not turn on. There’s only one way to get into the shop, and that is through the loading dock, which has a motion sensor, so the light has to turn on. It doesn’t make sense.” – Kenzie Wright, ’21

“I have a pendulum…There are many things you can practice with it, like talk to loved ones who have passed, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I’m still a novice. I did try to see what was going on [in Joyce fourth floor]… We tried to figure out a name, and we really couldn’t. We found out it was a good spirit, or say they say.” – Lindsey Duquette, ’21

Want to go Ghost Hunting?

Lindsay Stevens, a Paranormal Investigators of New England case manager tells us how:
“All you need to start out is an audio recorder. This has always seemed to be our biggest piece of evidence and works well.

I would however caution the choices of location. Investigating outside proves to be much harder with the natural elements, possible obstructions if investigating any place like woods, as well as an overall more creepy feeling.

I would also caution anyone who thinks about investigating their own location. This can in turn attract things into their home, and has the possibility to turn into much worse situation.

Always go with a partner, and stay in contact with one another. Most importantly always remember, it does not need to be around a holiday such as Halloween to experience activity. It happens every day, all around us.”

By Emma Shortall
Multimedia Editor

Momoka Okamura ’21
When she first came here from Tokyo, Okamura was convinced by a friend to join Diversity Coalition. Okamura was promoting international students to engage with American students through the group events hosted. She also works to get American students to engage with international students. She now is the Vice President of Diversity Coalition.

Nell Criscione ’21
As a class officer for all four years of high school, she organized events and fundraised. During her senior year of high school, she was elected as the senior captain of her field hockey and ice hockey teams. Criscione is the captain of the women’s field hockey team.

Paul Olsen
Paul Olsen is an associate professor of Business Administration and Accounting. He teaches classes such as Leadership, First-Year Seminar: Peace & Justice, and Business Communication. Olsen said he was always an organizer, but it wasn’t until he started teaching he viewed himself as a leader.

Shane Coughlin ’20
Coughlin’s first big leadership position was his high school first-year class president. Here he became the firstyear class president of ’21. He’s an RA, member of SMC First Generation, the Student Government Association Executive Board, and is a part of the Code of Ethics Committee for Hudson, N.H, his hometown.

When entering college, some students seek a path toward leadership. Here are the voices of three student leaders and a faculty member who teaches about leadership to provide more insight.

Momoka Okamura’s Advice

What qualities make a great leader?

“I think that it’s important to keep harmony inside a team…I create an environment that’s ready for everyone to cooperate with each other.”

How will your current leadership position help you in the future?

“You’ll learn methods and theories and then when you go out in society in the future you’ll apply this knowledge to actual situations. It’s like you practicing here, so you can make mistakes but it’s okay. Everyone will be there to help and of course, those teammates and professors are going to help you, but in the future, when you’re working for companies you’ll have more responsibilities.”

Nell Criscione’s Advice:

Why should others want to be leaders?

“I think it’s really good for people to be leaders, so they have confidence in what they’re doing and feel empowered. I think being a leader, whether you’re shy, loud, outgoing, it just gives you confidence.”

Do you have any memorable experiences being a leader?

“Just making sure everyone is doing okay and feeling good about where we’re at makes the team more unified. I think just being a leader of the team and making sure that everyone’s comfortable doing what they’re supposed to be doing is good enough for myself.”

What does leadership give you?

“Leadership gives me confidence. It helps me with my problems solving skills. I think what I’ve learned in college and as being a captain of a sports team is how to work with people but also how to take charge and make a quick decision regardless of what other people think. So, all the skills that I’ve learned from being a captain at St. Mikes will also carry over in my life.”

Professor Olsen’s Advice

Why should others want to be leaders?

“I always say to my students I don’t care what you care about but care about something and then try to affect change in that way. If you’re passionate about it and can communicate it effectively I think you can really rally people around something you want to be changed.”

How can others be leader?

“I think it’s a matter of focusing on the task you want to get done but also focusing on your followers, showing concern for them. I try to do that as a teacher. We’ve got a job to do, but I can also show concern for them, show an interest in their lives. Share and celebrate their successes.”

What qualities make a good leader?

“Admitting mistakes is a really important quality for a leader. We all make mistakes, but for a leader to acknowledge that followers say, ‘I can identify with that because I’ve screwed up too.’ As opposed to saying I didn’t do it…I make mistakes every day, some are little, and some are big. I own them. It humanizes you and it’s important.

Shane Coughlin’s Advice

Why should others want to be leaders?
“We all certainly have the potential to be leaders. You don’t always see leaders in leadership positions, but I think throughout our lives we have the opportunity to step up and have a positive influence regardless of what position we’re in. Something as simple as living with your suitemates and conflict arise, you could be a leader and step up and propose a solution and help somebody else in need. I think there are so many different opportunities to be a leader in a sense and it doesn’t strictly have to be confined to a position.”

What qualities make a great leader?

“I think being willing to think, in terms of the needs of the group [as a] whole, over sometimes your self needs. You recognize what needs to be done and get it done.

You are not going to inspire people if you are not passionate about what you do and are excited about what you’re doing. Honest, hardworking, I think those are all important attributes.”