Paranormal investigator Allen demonstrates a piece of equipment used during investigations. This instrument displays a grid of light that registers if anything moves in front of it.
Ghosts traditionally disappear with Halloween, but Bryan, Allen and Jackie from the Wisconsin Paranormal Investigators hunt them whenever they have a chance. With a team of eleven members and seven years of experience between them, the group travels the Midwest and the country investigating paranormal claims. They have investigated everything from prisons to houses.
Each of person has a unique background that led them to investigate the paranormal.
“Growing up in Chicago led me into this. The story of Resurrection Mary is big down there,” said investigator and event coordinator Jackie.
Chicago has plenty of ghost stories and many groups other than the Wisconsin Paranormal Investigators have investigated all over the city.
Although the group talked about ghosts and the paranormal, the main point of the presentation wasn’t to discuss the validity of paranormal evidence. The purpose was to discuss how to back up a claim with evidence.
Kerri Elliot, Antioch Community High School Special Education teacher, said, “the class is talking about how to back up an argument with evidence and support, like the investigators do. It isn’t really about the ghosts.”
Even though the main purpose was to talk about support, the students were interested in what the investigators had to say. The class developed a list of questions to ask and other questions were added during the presentation. Students asked about the investigators’ personal experiences as well as sharing their own experiences, some that even occurred at the school.
The Wisconsin Paranormal Investigators have spoken at a few events before, but ACHS is the first school they have ever presented at. They shared many stories about their investigations and even shared a few pieces of evidence they had captured from their website. The group also displayed some of the equipment they use during investigations as well as explaining how each piece works.
While the presentation was an unusual topic for ACHS, the students who attended learned that no matter what your argument is, if you have support you can back up anything.
