Desales High School Program

One of the main reasons that Keith Age formed the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society in 1996 was to better foster an understanding of the paranormal, a teaching instrument if you will. Never had this became more clear then when Keith Age was approached by Desales High School history teacher Tim Burke in 2004. Coach Burke, as he's called, had the opportunity to do an "immersion week" program at the school. This is where students spend a week learning about new areas that would not normally be discussed in the classroom.

Coach Burke decided to call he class "Ghost Busters" and would teach the students about investigating the paranormal. So far, as the coach likes to say his is the most popular class at the school. Several students have given up an opportunity to travel to France, they'd rather find ghosts instead. In the program, each day is a different lesson. One day they might learn how todistinguish faked ghost photos from the genuine thing and on another they get a lesson on the history of ghost hunting. The class always ends its week by conducting a supervised on-site investigation of their own at a supposed haunted location.

For the last several years Keith Age and members of the Louisville Ghost Hunters Society have been invited to the Desales to lecture to the students about the many things they have encountered in their investigations.

Through equipment demonstrations, a power point presentation and a question and answer session we hope to peak the students interests about what it is we do, and exactly how it is that we do it.

Interview With Coach Burke (Desales High School Ghost Hunting Program)
By Jay Gravatte

This year I had an oppurtunity to interview Coach Burke about the Immersion week.

Jay Gravatte: Coach, how did you first get the idea to do a paranormal themed immersion?

Tim Burke: I think it was 2002, when the Principal instituted "Immersion Week". The idea was to let the kids get "immersed" in a particular area of study in 4 days of activities that were "hands-on" and different from what he could get in a traditional school setting. Being a "night-owl" I wanted to do an evening activity. I figured most teens like to sleep late and stay up late. The 1st year I did "An Ethnic Taste Of Louisville". We went to ethnic restaurants and listened to guest speakers from various countries talk about their culture. That wasn't too popular, so I mentioned to my Psych class that I was looking for other ideas that would involve sleeping late.

One kid in my class mentioned "Ghost Hunting". Being a Psychology teacher (with a science background) I was skeptical, but I did see the possibilities for an Immersion about the Psychology of Perception & the History of Spiritualism. So, in 2003 my wife & I went out with Daniel and a few of his friends toting our cameras and tape recorders. We visited a few old cemeteries we knew about and I got a few interesting pics. See: http://www.coachburke.homestead.com/GHOSTHUNT.html

Oila! The "Ghost Busters" Immersion was born.

Jay Gravatte: Have you had a long interests in the paranormal?

Tim Burke: I've always had a skeptical attitude about Ghosts, but I've also always had a strong sense of curiosity about spiritual matters. My best friend in high school & I promised each other that if we died first, we would try to contact the other. Well, Ron died in 1994 & I haven't heard from him yet, but I still hold out hope. I have also always held a fascination for old cemeteries. The historian in me wants to know the "story behind the stone". As I've grown older, I've almost come to believe that the material possessions left behind by the departed hold, if not a part of their spirit, at least the "finger-prints" of their soul. As long as those possessions belong to someone that remembers the former owner (or somehow cares about that owner) a small part of that person's spirit remains alive. That's why I like Antiques.

Jay Gravatte: Can you describe the most interesting point that you have experienced while conduction the program?

Tim Burke: The most interesting thing I've encountered doing "Ghost Busters" is the people I've met & come to like a lot. Like you & Keith & Tina & Charlie etc. One of my old students (Paul Cox) is a security guard at Waverly. Helen Stewart (the Haunted Farm lady) is a real "sweetheart" & I've really come to love and appreciate her 2 sons by doing this. I've gotten closer to several of the students & have learned to appreciate a different side of them than what a teacher usually sees in a classroom. It seems that my investigations of the dead have only brought me closer to the living. But to me, that's cool.

I've still never seen a ghost yet, although when we were touring Waverly this year some of the kids said that they saw a "shadow person" walking right behind me while I walked down a darkened hall. Many of my students have reported seeing or feeling unusual things. This year alone, we had two separate reports of strange "apparitions" in Eastern cemetery. One reported a "white-robed" figure that was walking behind some distant trees, and another saw what he described as a "black shadow-like figure about 3 feet tall" running in the distance.

Jay Gravatte: What do you hope to achieve by the immersion subject.

Tim Burke: What do I hope to achieve?? At the very least, I hope to continue to enjoy the experience of interacting with my students & their parents in an unusual setting, and hopefully meeting new interesting people along the way. My best hope?? Maybe my friend Ron will find a way to break through, & I'll get to see him again. But, who knows?? Thanks to you and all of LGHS all you have done to make this so much fun.

For more information, please visit the Official Desales "Ghost Hunting" website at:
http://www.coachburke.homestead.com/GHOSTBUSTERS.html