Every school has its tucked-away nooks and crannies, whether it’s beneath the stairwells, backstage, or behind that weird unreachable door in the middle of the gym wall. These are spaces that students don’t normally get to see, but with an exclusive tour given by Assistant Principal Gregory Moxley, The SunDevil Times can give you a sneak peek.
Read thoroughly for details on a theater strand tradition, a gym teacher living behind the walls, and the strangeness of Salem’s “Dungeon.” All photos are taken by senior Irene Straw.
Beneath the D Stairwell
The first stop of the tour was the closet beside the D Stairwell. Upon opening the door, it looked like a regular storage space. Stacks of boxes and random objects, nothing surprising. However, turning the corner led to an open space with a singular ominous-looking chair.
Why was the chair there? Why did it have no back? Who left it there? No one knew, but I did find out that it wouldn’t be the only ominous chair on the tour.
The Closet of Work Room A
In the hallway between Stairwells D and C, there is a teacher work room with a closet. This storage space is very normal with its many boxes, holiday props, and the cardboard cutout of former Principal Leeane Turnbull-Pallette, a staple during COVID times.
Beneath the C Stairwell
Lo and behold, another storage space! This time there is no ominous chair, but the decorative skis that have been sitting there for five years make up for the lack of chairs.
Electrical Room
Next we have the electrical room and the teacher storage closet leading into it. Although it’s caged off, math teacher Jason Byzewski’s head on a wheel of calculus seems to have been tacked on as an extra measure of protection. Nothing like calculus to ward people off.
The Former Tardy Window
Ever wondered what that window at the back entrance was for?
“At one point back in the day, this was the tardy window,” said Moxley. “You wouldn’t be allowed in the front. Everyone would just come in through these doors (the back), and this would be the tardy window.”
It would also be used to sell tickets, though now it’s just another storage space for all kinds of boxes. Mainly the green and white kind.
The Backstage Closet
Here we have another closet, except backstage. This one has a shopping cart, fake plants, an old TV, basic storage cabinets, and a not-so-ominous chair. It also leads to the catwalks above the stage and auditorium. Unfortunately, we students weren’t allowed up there, but Moxley described it as ‘weird’:
“All of a sudden if you don’t like heights and you look down, you realize, ‘Oh, I’m 100 feet in the air on a thin piece of metal suspended over the auditorium.’”
We can also see on the walls the theater strand’s tradition.
“Theater has a tendency to sign the walls,” said Moxley. “It’s an unspoken rule. We don’t love that they do it, but they do it.”
Gym Equipment Storage
Across from the weight room is another black door that leads to another storage room. However, this one has an interesting backstory.
“So, there’s this story back in the day during the 90s. There was a P.E. teacher who was having some issues and needed a place to live, [so] he lived back in here. He showered in the locker room, cooked in the home ec room, and lived in here for a while,” said Moxley. “This was super illegal. He ended up getting into big trouble for it. When they found him living in here, he had set up a couch and a bed and a TV and all this stuff.”
While there was a person housed here before, it now houses gymnastics equipment during off-seasons. That’s what the big steel doorways are for, an easier entryway for lugging heavy equipment from the gym floor to the concrete loft.
Theater Closet
Here is a storage closet for the theater strand. The walls here are another display of the theater strand’s tradition of signing walls.
“A lot of the kids who won states last year for One Act signed. They felt like it was a right to [sign],” said Moxley.
Along with all the interesting things written on the wall, there were many props for the stage, including two chairs that did not look ominous at all.
The Dungeon
Last but certainly not least, we have “The Dungeon,” as it is fittingly dubbed by Moxley.
“The absolute weirdest place in Salem,” said Moxley. “I honestly don’t like opening this door because I don’t get a good vibe from it. I would not be doing this at night.”
Opening the short, narrow doorway gave way to a cold draft and the sight of the most ominous chair of the tour. This room being the only one with unfinished flooring and dusty children’s rugs added to the creepiness.
“I didn’t even know about this door for the longest time. And when I found out about it, I was like, ‘Why does this exist?’” said Moxley. “Also, there’s like a really weird chair in here that’s been here forever. Even the air is weird back there.”
This tour only uncovered some of Salem’s secrets; there are still plenty more to tell, like the Isolation Room left over from COVID, staff-exclusive shortcuts that lead from one hallway to another, and the hidden rooms of the schola. Let this be a reminder that this school has things that students, even some teachers, don’t know about.
