Campus urban legends: storytellers keep tales alive

May 19, 2010 • By Liz Crowell  
Filed under Features

   It’s part of the classic high school experience. Teachers and upperclassmen telling freshmen stories that seem far-fetched but are just realistic enough to be believable.

   Is there really a pool on top of the gym? Did Mr. George Prelock really ship himself to Canada? Is the uniform changing? Was Dr. Warren Laffey really married to Angelina Jolie before Brad Pitt became her significant other? Where are the ID-10-T forms and the legs on the periodic table? Some of these urban legends are true, and others are just shared for amusement.

   An urban legend is a bizarre story told to the masses that is presented as something that is actually true. They circulate via word of mouth and have taken on new life with the advent of the internet.

  In the oral tradition, popular urband legends often involve the supernatural, such as the ones about the hitchhiker who disappears after being picked up or that chanting “Bloody Mary” 13 times in front of a mirror will summons a wicked spirit. A “scientific” one is that mixing  Coca Cola and Pop Rocks causes the stomach to explode.

   Internet urban legends include ones on computer viruses or that Bill Gates is sharing his fortune.

   Every school has a few different legends that are passed on from one graduating class to the next. Freshmen say they heard at the beginning of the year that a swimming pool is on top of the gym, a legend not unique to NDP. Upperclassmen at another Scottsdale high school charge their freshmen $5 each to see the non-existent pool on their gym roof.

   An NDP legend that has been told for years was fabricated by none other than Mr. Scot Bemis himself.

    Senior Caitlin Miller said, “I remember Mr. Bemis sent me to get a left-handed foot ball. It took me forever to figure out that it was a joke.”

   Another legend that has been told to naive freshmen from Mr. Bemis is the one of the mystery student Joey Schmagmeier.

   Sophomore Josh Eggler said, “Every year during at tendance, Mr. Bemis calls out the name Joey Schmagmeier, and when no one answers, he always says, ‘Oh, I guess Joey’s absent again today.”

   It seems that Mr. Bemis has a distinct reputation as the epicenter for such unique stories.

   Senior Amanda Grzybowski said, “I remember when Mr. Bemis sent freshmen to go find him the legs to the periodic table. I thought it was hilarious and showed that he wanted to make class fun.”

   It doesn’t take his students long to realize there is no such thing as an ID-10-T form when they return to class empty-handed and  he spells the name  of the form on the white board for the class to see.

   However, there are many other teachers who have had their fair share of urban legend limelight. For instance, Mr. George Prelock has told many students about the time he once shipped himself in a box to Canada. Is this story true? One will have to ask Mr. Prelock himself for an explanation, but be prepared for his unequivocal  answer: “I don’t really tell any urban legends.  The only urban legend I know of is myself.”

   One may think that these two story-tellers are the only ones on campus who provide stories to amuse their students, but Dr.  Warren Laffey also has   his share.

  According to one student, “Dr. Laffey tells his math classes that he was married to Angelina Jolie. It’s hilarious to know that he still says that to his students.”

 Senior Chris Malinowski said, “When I was a freshman, I heard stories about teachers I hadn’t even had yet, so I wasn’t sure what to believe.”

  These usually don’t take long to figure out, such as that Mr. David Lamb probably really isn’t a ninja.

  Junior Cassondra Sommer said, “I heard so many stories about interesting things regarding teachers and the campus. I realized that while some of the stories may  true, they are things I had to find out on my own.”

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