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OGDEN — If Ogden High School looks a little spooky, many students and faculty will tell you it's more than just the look — it IS haunted.
"We see a lot of orbs, we see personages," said teacher Janae Hudman. "A few people have heard voices."
The feeling around the 84-year-old building on 2828 Harrison Blvd., however, has been a little different this year as the school prepares to offer a handful of ghost tours Thursday and Friday.
That's because one of Ogden High's most enthusiastic ghost hunters, teacher Shaylene Parry, won't be part of this year's festivities.
On Sept. 23, Parry died at the age of 45 after a battle with cancer.
"She had Stage 4 cancer of the colon, and by the time you get to that stage, it had started going other places in her body," said Hudman. "She'd been doing chemo(therapy) and things had been looking really good and it developed into brain cancer, which rapidly took her."
Hudman described Parry as a "fireball" and someone who was passionate in all things — including leading students to greater success as a family and consumer sciences educator and an adviser of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.
"I didn't want to say goodbye," said former student, Tony Willden. "It was hard to see her that way."
Parry left behind a husband and three daughters.
Hudman and others at Ogden High said they wanted to build a college fund "nest" for Parry's children, and they chose as a fundraiser to host five ghost tours at the school in her honor.
"That's the way that we have chosen to honor her is to take what she has done and try and make it as great as we can," Hudman said. "One of our last conversations was her concern for her own children and her desire to help them get through school and so that was one of the things I felt like I could promise her to help with."
The ghost tours are scheduled at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday and 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday. Hudman said tickets are $20 and are offered online or by calling the school at 801-737-8700.
All proceeds go to Parry's family, Hudman said.
"It's one of those things we can celebrate her life," Hudman said.
Willden, who attributes Parry's influence as a major reason why he is pursuing a career as an educator, said she will be missed and he hoped her presence and impact will be felt at Ogden High long into the future.
"I'm sad to see her leaving," Willden said. "I'm glad she's not in pain anymore and that's what I would say."
