Hunting season in full swing, the paranormal type that is

purpose, opportunity, service, connection

GOLF COMPETES AT STATE AS TEAM The golf team finished fourth at divisionals in order to earn a team berth to state this year.

Left to right, Caden Bateman, Carson Suchecki, Hayden Ellis, Kaden Yaeger, Madeline Heaney, Jake Paugh, and Ashlee Owens. 7

the Sun Journal

PHOTO COURTESY JOHN HEANEY

royal couple

BPA pairs with Drum Coffee

by James Bivens

of the Sun Journal

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PHOTO BY DARCY COHEN

Seniors Quincy Morrison and Jacob Gardanier were crowned the ultimate royal couple at the 2021 Homecoming Game on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.

Unfortunately, the football team lost to Butte 21-0 in the Homecoming game. However, in last Thursday’s match-up against Flathead, the team won 34-6, clinching a spot in the playoffs. They play Great Falls Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. in Great Falls.

GSA off to ambitious start in ‘21

Hunting season in full swing, the paranormal type that is

by Hollin Keintz

of the Sun Journal

I

t’s that time of year when we actively seek out things that go bump in the night. But for many, the spooky season lasts all year.

Beginning each spring, the Old Montana State Prison in Deerlodge hosts overnight ghost hunts led by experienced paranormal investigators Lisa Garcia and Jenn Keintz.

The events are held at least twice a month on both Fridays and Saturdays, starting in March and run through the end of October.

Guests arrive at the OMSP at 9 p.m. and stay locked in until 3 a.m.

“It’s a great event. We have people travel from all over the United States, and sometimes further, just to experience what they see on TV,” Keintz said.

“There’s nothing like sitting quietly in the dark, waiting for something to make a noise, or reach out and touch you.”

For the first few hours, guests stay with the guides. It’s a combination of a history tour of the most haunted locations, as well as a few vigils in those hot spots, to see if the spirits will come out and communicate.

ocated in the central hub of the building, the new school store, the Commons Coffee Co., is the reincarnation of the old DECA store and the former coffee cart, the Steamin’ Eagle.

Run by the Business Professionals of America club, the store and coffee bar hope to serve all of the Big Sky community in an efficient and affordable manner.

“We are excited about our new store, and though it’s a bit intimidating, taking on the coffee bar is turning out to be quite the learning experience by both advisers and students,” Jenn Keintz, co-BPA adviser said.

Keintz and co-adviser Laci Dunfee were both baristas in college, though for Keintz, that was 25 years ago.

“It’s coming back to me, slowly but surely, but we plan to keep our offerings pretty limited,” Keintz said. “The plan is to do a few drinks really well rather than to offer an entire menu of coffee drinks.”

The group has officially partnered with Drum Coffee this week, the local shop in Missoula owned by Fitz and the Tantrums’ drummer John Wicks and his wife, Jenna.

“We are really excited to be pairing with Drum Coffee,” Keintz said. “We have switched our coffee to their Luigi blend of whole bean espresso that see BPA COFFEE, P 3

by Hollin Keintz

of the Sun Journal

I

f you have noticed teachers wearing colorful lanyards around the school, they are probably proudly displaying their support for Big Sky’s Gender Sexuality Alliance club, or GSA. The group recently printed and laminated rainbow colored tags for teacher lanyards. On one side, the lanyard says “LGBTQIA2S+ Affirming Educator” and on the other it says “All Students Are SAFE in My Space!”

GSA meets weekly and provides a safe space for all students.

PHOTO BY JAMES BIVENS Regardless of orientation or Seniors Hollin Keintz, Gwen Fleming-Campbell and Kendall Toye ghost hunt at the Montana Children’s Center in identity, everyone is welcome Twin Bridges, Mont. last Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. The group, along with Senior James Bivens joined the annual to attend as long as they come Blaze radio station’s Halloween Ghost Hunt at the abandoned orphanage, with permission from owner Leslie with an open mind and behave Adams. Highlights of the outing will be aired during DJ KC Koepel’s Halloween special. respectfully. Staff, too, are happen, but if something does “I’ve heard an audible growl Around midnight, guests can then encouraged to attend to learn more happen, guests can be assured that come from the end of a long roam the prison on their own, or about the club and what they stand it is real, and they haven’t been hallway when no one was in the they can take one of the guides for. “set-up” by the hosts. building except the few people with them if they are too nervous Club president, Junior Mercy “We want to keep our integrity I was with. I’ve seen hats get to venture out by themselves.

Gordon (she/he/they) said, “Our “We are often asked to intact, so we don’t fake anything,” pulled off people’s heads, and main goals for the club are to accompany people after we’ve Keintz said. “We would be fired if wallets picked out of pockets from provide a safe place for anyone set them free. Either they are ‘inmates’ who you can’t actually we actually tried to intentionally who needs it, bring attention to still a bit scared of the area, or scare someone. We would rather see. I’ve had someone breathe specifically gender and sexuality they just aren’t sure what to do. I heavily in my ear that I heard absolutely nothing happen, and related issues or topics, and don’t mind going with them at all, people just had a good time seeing live and I have on recording. I’ve amplify young queer voices.” although that doesn’t guarantee if anything was out there, than seen lights turned on, recorded The club has been working anything will happen,” Keintz an unknown voice finish the song fake something and have it not be really hard on easy and safe said. real.” we were singing, and been told to accessibility to the gender neutral That is one point emphasized And things do happen. Guests leave by a disembodied voice. I’ve bathroom that Gordon and a few often by the guides--there is have been touched, scratched, had been whistled at, and I’ve had my other juniors advocated for their no guarantee that anything will their hair pulled. see GHOST HUNTERS, P 7 see GSA LANYARDS, P 3

INSIDE

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News........................................1-3 Homecoming ................................4-5 Opinions....................................6 Lifestyle.......................................7 Sports....................................8

photo by Brandon Honzel

Glacier restoration

BSHS science students work at Glacier to help restore Fish Creek Campground 3

photo by Darcy Cohen

Winter driving hazards Reporter Jordan Cowan advises rookie drivers how to park in the snow.

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OCTOBER 28, 2021

photo by Kylie Fisher

Half Moon Success

Finley Stratford and Emma Reed performing as part of the Improv Troupe.

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photo by Addie Smith

Playoff bound

Football beat the Flathead Braves last Thursday to earn a playoff birth, 34-6.

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October 28, 2021

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Lifestyle

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GHOST HUNTERS continued from Page 1 hair pulled. It’s active, that’s for sure.”

Not only is the prison known to be haunted, it has some pretty infamous prisoners, as well. One of the most colorful characters is Paul Eitner, or Turkey Pete as he was affectionately referred to. Arrested for murder in 1918, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. A model inmate, he was assigned to watch the prison’s turkeys at the farm down the road in Galen. However, he sold the entire flock one day to a rancher passing by for 25 cents a head--thus earning him his nickname. He was also called Shorty (he was only 5’2”), and the “Champ” for his love of boxing--he was the prison team’s manager--and would shadow box each match.

He was also the mascot for the prison band, and when the band was allowed to leave the prison walls to perform, he was known to dance with the ladies. After serving his time, Eitner was denied parole because the parole board was afraid he would not be able to adjust to the outside world.

Thus he essentially had free reign of the prison until his death in 1967, often sleeping outside the Warden’s office, and reading the Warden’s morning paper before he arrived for the day.

Even though paroled, Eitner remained within the prison until he was 89, as he suffered from dementia in his last years, believing he owned diamond mines as well as the prison itself. Inmates printed fake checkbooks for him, so on Fridays, he would “pay” the employees their weekly wages from Eitner Enterprises. He also “bought” families’ groceries, sent checks to the President for the entire defense budget, and once sent $12.5 million to Brazil when the coffee crop failed.

He served 49 years in the prison, and his cell, cell #1 in the 1912 cell house, was retired and never reassigned after his death. He was the only prisoner to receive a funeral within the prison (in the Clark Theater) and over 600 inmates, guards, and community members were allowed to attend. His tombstone was purchased by the guards, who also served as his pallbearers.

“Turkey Pete is probably the most famous prisoner, and one we are asked about more than any other,” Keintz said.

“Is he here? I’m not really sure to be honest. I don’t think so. And if he is, I wouldn’t be afraid of him. Sometimes we think he shows up in the theater, and in administration, but he’s not a menacing or scary presence. Some mediums have claimed he’s here, and they’ve communicated with him, but I personally believe he has moved on.”

Not only does Keintz investigate the prison during the summer and haunting season, but she also helps out local paranormal group Tortured Souls Investigations, and has been helping with the Blaze Radio Station’s annual Halloween Ghost Hunt for the last six or seven years. This year, both teams paired up to investigate the abandoned Montana Children’s Center in Twin Bridges, Montana, a location only investigated by three paranormal groups-Travel Channels Ghost Adventures, in November 2016, and Destination Fear, which will air Nov.6, 2021.

The Twin Bridges Orphanage opened in 1894 as a haven for innocent children. It was designed to prepare children to become productive adults by segregating them and providing them with food, education, vocational training, and a rigid structure. The campus is over 100 acres, and in its prime, had separate girls’ and boys’ dormitories, a hospital, a school, a gymnasium with a swimming pool, a working farm, and a grand Victorian mansion at the center.

It was essentially a self-contained town, and for the most part, a highly successful institution.

Children were brought to the orphanage for a variety of reasons, most stemming from the poverty in Montana after the mining monies dwindled, as well as true orphans without families to care for them. While some children had lost their parents, others were dropped off because their families could no longer afford them and the orphanage gave them hope for a better life. As many as 400 children lived at the orphanage at one time, seeing the highest number of children during the Great Depression. After Montana established a foster care system, the numbers dwindled and the orphanage officially closed its doors in 1976.

Not everything was rosy within the walls of the orphanage. Many former residents claim regular beatings, abuse, neglect and sadness during their time spent in the home. These claims have lead to the numerous rumors of the hauntings at the home, leaving many paranormal investigators dying to get in.

Current owner Leslie Adams bought the orphanage in 2007 and planned to restore the buildings. She purchased it from a man who had planned to turn it into a grand business venture, but then Black Monday hit, and he essentially just locked the doors, fired everyone and did nothing until she purchased the buildings in 2005.

She doesn’t feel the land is hers, necessarily, but more that she is a care-taker of history until the next owner comes along. Restoring the buildings is a huge undertaking,

At left: Seniors James Bivens, Hollin Keintz, Kendall Toye and Gwen FlemingCampbell re-create the above polaroid left by the stars of Destination Fear. The Travel Channel show visited the Twin Bridges Orphange last spring, and their episode will air Nov. 6, 2021. The Big Sky students found the signed polaroid in one of the classrooms. Both groups are pictured in the school’s theater at the orphanage.

PHOTOS BY JENN KEINTZ

Top: The Big Sky documentary team of Bivens, Toye, Keintz and Fleming-Campbell outside the Grand Victorian at the Montana Children’s Center in Twin Bridges. Below left, the team with Hadley Keintz, 12, outside the Old Montana Prison in Deerlodge, Mont. Bottom right: The Documentary team tours the Twin Bridges Orphanage with owner Leslie Adams (in pink) and members of Tortured Souls Investigations before the Blaze Ghost Hunt. They are pictured here in the nursery.

and has essentially consumed her for the last decade.

“I had been building in this area for a bunch of years before walking into this, and dragging my folks all through crazy places like this. So I’m ok with it not having any using, I’m just reducing the barriers for developers,” Adams said.

When she first moved in and they began to work on the buildings, there was quite a bit of paranormal activity, though she now feels comfortable there day or night.

“There was a lot going on here in the beginning. And when we were demo-ing, you know, doing the roofs, and when you disrupt, it gets busy. So we would hear things--singing and stuff,” she said. “But it was never scary.”

Not surprisingly, the ghost hunt went as expected-Keintz’s group, which included five Big Sky journalists-experienced the most activity, while the two adult groups didn’t find too much.

“At least once during the night, we had all of our equipment go off--multiple times--except the music box,” Keintz said. “I was most excited to use the music box, so that was a little disappointing, but other than that we seemed to make quite a few connections.”

The group had multiple encounters throughout the night-a door shutting on them, the cat toys and the mel meter going off in response to questions, and one person actually getting pushed.

Senior Kendall Toye, who was pushed in the nursery around 3:30 a.m., gave the experience a “10 out of 10” saying it was “a lot of fun and I’m so glad that we got as many experiences that we did. I’m looking forward to the next one!”

The students were able to attend as reporters, and also to work on an hour-long documentary about the haunted locations in Montana which will air at the Big Sky Film Festival in February. The same group was able to visit Deerlodge over the summer months as well.

“I personally got a lot more paranormal experiences from Twin Bridges than the prison. Back at the Montana State Prison, when we went ghost hunting for the first time, I was honestly kinda skeptical and my skepticism didn’t change after we left,” Senior Gwen Fleming-Campbell said. “Then we went to Twin Bridges Orphanage, and let’s just say, I definitely believe in the paranormal now.”

Senior James Bivens said, “It was a lot of fun working with the Blaze and the energies of the other groups.

Deerlodge was a lot scarier for me than Twin Bridges because of the history of the inmates. The children at Twin Bridges made me a lot more sad. Except when we were in the Nursery. Almost all ofour devices were going off at once and Kendall getting pushed definitely gave me a spook.”

Half Moon Variety Show gets drama students back on stage

Bottom left: Grace Scheonen, Isabelle Lewis. Top left: Ashlynn Everett, Octavio Jimenez, Kion Nordberg.

Middle: Landon Roberts, Kaysa Haury, Ashlynn Everett, Lilyanna Adams, Grace Scheonen, Lucas Schroeder. Right: Gabriel Hendrix.

PHOTOS BY KYLIE FISHER