Ghosts and paranormal activities rule our television sets during the Halloween season, but their actual existence is debated across the world. While some are convinced they’re real, many question whether it is possible for spirits to return to earth, watching over – or haunting –  the living.

For junior Erica Lalor of Aberdeen, ghosts are too hard to believe. As a self-described scientific person, Lalor argues that science doesn’t support their existence.

Sophomore Merina Spaltro of Allentown agrees. Although she admits there have been possibilities of paranormal activity, she reasons that they haven’t been repeatedly tested and confirmed like a scientific hypothesis should.

But for some, like freshman Riley Brennan of Manasquan, all it takes is one firsthand experience to confirm the reality of paranormal activity.

Brennan’s catharsis occurred when a Ouija board game with friends turned into an otherworldly experience. The board was able to reveal the name of Brennan’s cousin, who had recently passed, along with facts about him such as his birthday and date of death.

“Neither of my friends could have possibly known the answers to questions like that,” Brennan said.

A student who wished to remain anonymous is also a believer in the supernatural after she had a firsthand experience. Her living stepmom received communication from the student’s late mother, convincing her of the existence of ghosts. For her, the idea offers comfort.

“I have and will always believe that there are spirits near us, especially those who we love that have passed, and it’s reassuring to know that they are really here with us,” she said.

For some people, such as junior Veronica Yaron of Little Silver, there is no doubt in their mind that spirits and ghosts exist. Yaron was raised believing in the supernatural due to an experience that occurred within her family.

After the sudden death of Yaron’s grandfather, her family began experiencing a series of unexplainable events: a piano played randomly, doors slammed shut and a radio inexplicably turned on. Most notably, the spirit made his presence known in Yaron’s mother’s room with loud banging and then holding the door shut.

“The whole phenomenon floored me,” Yaron said. “To me, nothing can be more solid proof of spirits than that.”