Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Division 10 2023-2024 John Muir Elementary School Exploring the Lighthouse
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 2 SHERINGHAM POINT LIGHTHOUSE PRESERVATION SOCIETY Project Team (Change Canada Consultants Ltd.): Ian Fawcett (Project Manager) Kathleen Arnason (Project Coordinator) Bill Turner (Project Advisor) Commemorative Book designed and written by Ian Fawcett. SPLPS: John Walls (President) Contact: [email protected] Address: PO Box 1002, Sooke, BC V9Z 1J1 Website: http://sheringhamlighthouse.ca http://changecanadaconsultants.com Cover photo: Mackenzie Cover inset: Chloe Back photo: Kayden
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 3 Exploring the Lighthouse John Muir Elementary Division 10 Contents The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society........................................................................4 Exploring the Lighthouse............................................................................................................................ 5 Exploring the Lighthouse - The Program..................................................................................................6 A Brief History of the Lighthouse...............................................................................................................7 Exploring the Lighthouse - Reflecting What You See..............................................................................9 Exploring the Lighthouse - Telling Your Stories...................................................................................10 Photographs and Stories from the Students in Division 10 (Mr. Pepin’s Class)..............................11 A BigThank You .........................................................................................................................................63 Raising Funds to Protect the Lighthouse..............................................................................................64 Unintended Consequences.......................................................................................................................65
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 4 The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society In 2003, the Government of Canada declared that the historic Sheringham Point Lighthouse was no longer needed to ensure maritime safety in the Juan de Fuca Strait. Advances in technology meant that the Lighthouse could now be discarded — torn down, sold off for other uses or, simply, left to rot and eventually to fall apart. In response, a small group of neighbours gathered to form the Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society. They were determined that the Lighthouse, which had stood for almost 100 years as a symbol of their community, would not be lost. For the next twelve years, the Society’s volunteers worked extremely hard to fight for the Lighthouse’s protection, doing everything they could to raise awareness about the threat to their community heritage. They rallied their community, local businesses and other groups, lobbied and strategized with all levels of government, raised funds and, eventually, put forward a plan to take on the responsibility to care for and conserve the Lighthouse themselves. In 2015, the Society’s efforts were successful. The government agreed to transfer the property to the Society and also, at the same time, they officially designated Sheringham Point Lighthouse a “Canadian Heritage Lighthouse”. As the new owners and stewards, the Society worked for the next seven years to restore the Lighthouse to its former glory, and to make sure it will always be accessible for the public to enjoy and appreciate. The Lighthouse is now protected and is open to the public as a community heritage park.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 5 Children today have a greater range of opportunities open to them than at any time in recent history, and greater freedoms than ever before. Thriving in this chaotic environment requires an ability for all children to be able to find a strong foundation from which they can build their lives, achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. For most of us, that foundation starts with the family, and extends outward into the community. Just as a tree needs deep roots to grow tall and strong, so does a child draw nourishment and vitality from his or her own roots, from the comfort of belonging, from having a place to call home. Understanding and, in particular, experiencing their own connections to the people and places around them is invaluable for children in so many ways. Learning about their own and their community’s history provides a base from which they can explore their world and help them answer that most fundamental of questions: “How did this come to be?” Our history is not just an academic pursuit to be left to historians. It’s not just about dates and far-off locations, nor is it just about great battles, world-shaking events, the comings and goings of kings and queens and presidents. It’s also about the lives of the people who lived here before, their struggles and triumphs, their thoughts and ideas that nurtured their families, built their communities and shaped their world. It’s about the stories our grandfathers told us, and those from our neighbours. We all have stories in our lives and they are, in their way, as full of drama and intrigue as any of the great sagas of our history classes. It is our stories that shape us, that make us who we are. Our history – our heritage – is best lived and experienced, understood through the things we can see and touch and feel, and passed on in a way that warms our hearts and feeds our imaginations. It’s why we need to work hard to conserve, appreciate and celebrate our heritage — not just the castles and stately mansions, but the cottages and the old lighthouses as well. Those remnants of our past have stories to tell. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” ~ Albert Einstein Exploring the Lighthouse John Muir Elementary Division 10
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 6 ...The Program To help children in the local area strengthen their connections to their own community, we wanted to provide an opportunity for them to visit Sheringham Point Lighthouse, to learn about its history and operations, to appreciate its significance and understand why it is being conserved. It was also our hope to inspire them – and, through them, their families and friends – to take a personal interest in further exploring their community and helping to protect and celebrate their heritage and the future of the Lighthouse. We developed this short program, called “Exploring the Lighthouse”. This program has several parts: 1. History and Operations – we provide a short presentation outlining the history of the Lighthouse, and also talk about how lighthouses work and their role in maritime safety and community development. 2. Visit to the Lighthouse – the students visit the Lighthouse to see firsthand what it’s all about, and to experience its remarkable character and ambience. 3. Reflections – we ask the students to creatively express their impressions of the Lighthouse site by: • Taking photographs while they are at the site, focusing on the features that capture their attention/imagination. • Writing a story (either fictional or non-fiction) about a Lighthouse. 4. Commemorative Book - we compile the students’ photographs and stories into this commemorative book, which is being provided online to all the children, their families and the whole community. Exploring the Lighthouse It is the Society’s hope that we will be able to find the ongoing resources to make this project an annual event, and to make it available to all the elementary schools in the local area, with the result being that all children growing up in this part of the world will have the opportunity – through their visit to the lighthouse – to better understand and appreciate the community they call home. Focused in on the visit to the Lighthouse
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 7 A Brief History of the Lighthouse... Sheringham Point Lighthouse was built in 1912, and illuminated for the first time on September 30 of that year. The Lighthouse was built in response to the tragic wreck of the steamship SS Valencia, on January 22, 1906. En route from San Francisco to Victoria and Seattle, late at night and in rough weather, the Valencia missed the turn into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and steamed directly on to the rocks near Pachena Point. Of the 173 people aboard, 136 were lost. Creation of the Lighthouse began in 1911, with the purchase of 4 acres of land from Shirley resident Edwin Clark. The following year, the lighthouse tower was built, along with a small boathouse and a house for the lighkeeper and his family. The first lightkeeper, Eustace Arden, arrived in September 1912, and continued at the site until 1946. The light itself was a 3rd Order Fresnel Lens. Originally lit by oil lamps (and later by electric lamps), it was made up of many prisms which focused the light into a powerful beam that could be seen up to 25 km away. The lens Exploring the Lighthouse Under construction - 1912 Newly completed - ca 1912
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 8 rotated through a clockwork mechanism of pulleys and weights – each about180 kg – that had to be re-wound every three hours. Because of the size and weight of the lens, it was seated in a bed of liquid mercury, to allow it to turn without much friction. In 1925, a fog-alarm building was added to the site, and a new “diaphone” (two-tone) fog-horn was installed. Originally a wooden, peaked-roof building, constructed in front of the tower, this building was replaced in 1976 with the concrete block building that is still on site. The diesel engines that provided power for the site were also located in this building. A number of other structures were added to the site over the years, including radio towers and sheds, a fallout shelter (that was actually never used as such, but came to be used to grow mushrooms instead), other utility buildings and, in 1964, a new, more modern house for the Lightkeeper. During the 1980s, the Lighthouse was automated and it was finally destaffed in 1989 when the last lightkeeper left. Except for the tower and the engine room (fog-alarm building), all the other structures on site were taken down, or deliberately burned, to avoid vandalism. Left largely unattended for the next thirty years, the Lighthouse began to deteriorate and was in danger of being lost forever. Then, after many years of lobbying by the local community, in 2015, it was transferred to the Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society. It has now been restored to its former glory, and is open to the public as a community heritage park. ...A Brief History of the Lighthouse Exploring the Lighthouse Following construction of the fog alarm building - ca 1926 Following construction of the boat house - 1912
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 9 Exploring the Lighthouse “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” ~ Dorothea Lange, Photographer Reflecting what you see... Photography is a powerful tool for exploring the world around us. It causes us to focus more intently on what we are looking at, to look more closely, pay attention to the details, and take nothing for granted. It creates an intimate connection with the subject and with the environment that surrounds it. While it’s a very personal process, the end result is universal. To appreciate a photograph requires no ability to read, no language in common, no prerequisite level of education or life experience. Just an ability to see and to feel, and a willingness to participate. For this part of the program, we provided each student with a cell phone camera and some basic instruction in its use, as well as a brief overview of the art of photography. Then we asked them to take photographs while they were at the lighthouse, focusing on the things that caught their attention and/or their imagination. When we returned to the school later, each student chose his or her favourite photo, and explained why they chose it. There were lots of amazing photographs – creative and insightful! The following pages showcase their chosen photographs. Enjoy! “Photography represents the world we know, and suggests a world beyond what we can see. Creativity is the gap between perception and knowledge.” ~ Emmet Gowin, Photographer
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 10 Exploring the Lighthouse “Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” ~ An old First Nations proverb “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” ~ Rudyard Kipling, Author Telling your stories... Story-telling has always formed the underlying basis of human communication. Our stories are the ways that we connect ourselves to one another and to our communities. They help define who we are and where come from. Children naturally understand the power of story-telling, and we wanted to provide them with tools and strategies to explore and expand their own story-telling abilities, to share their own stories and to learn from others. Author Kathleen Arnason spoke to the students about the basic elements of creative writing, focusing on getting the children to explore their own feelings and values and to think about what is important and has meaning for them. Each student was asked to write a story (factual or fictional) about a lighthouse, incorporating what they had learned and what they had seen throughout the day. The following pages contain the results of that work, and they speak for themselves. Kathleen talks about the importance of storytelling and creativity. Ian tells the story about how the Lighthouse was built.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 11 Photographs and Stories from the Students in Division 10 (Mr. Pepin’s class) Exploring the Lighthouse
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 12 Alex’s Pages SEA “I chose this photo because I like the colours in it and I think it looks cool.” Alex’s Photo Selection: THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LIGHTHOUSE...cont.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 13 Alex’s Pages (continued) OCEAN by Alex The ocean. I look at the ocean as the king because there are so many things that people and the earth need to live. Just think about it; if the ocean weren’t a thing, then fish wouldn’t exist, boats wouldn’t exist, and so much more, even if the world could survive. My favorite thing about the ocean is going fishing. My dad’s a fisherman and I really like it. I haven’t been fishing in a while because I’ve been busy, but I would love to go soon. The last time I was fishing, I was with my grandpa at a lake. It was really nice. He also gave me my first fishing rod. I love going on my dad’s boat. I don’t know why, but it’s just nice. His boat is blue. I like going in the engine room when it’s off because there’s a little workbench with so many tools. I like to carve out wood and other things. One time on his boat last year, there were big, huge waves, and then I went up to the front of the ship. I got so wet, and my dad thought it was funny. My dad says that lighthouses are super important to him. I like lighthouses. I went to one today, and we took photos on these little phones. It was really cool. I think lighthouses are really cool, and I really like them. That’s only two things that I love about the sea. Without those, I wouldn’t be the same, and that’s why the oceans are so important to me. THE END.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 14 Anton’s Pages WATER MAN “I liked all the crashing water and the waves. I chose it because it really caught my eye.” Anton’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 15 Anton’s Pages (continued) WATER by Anton One day, little Billy came by to look at the water. The water didn’t notice Billy because he’s like two feet tall. Then a really big wave came and sucked him in. There were posters all over the town saying where little Billy fell. The town eventually found out what happened because Billy’s best friend was with him when he fell into the water. So then the town came down to the water, but nobody believed he was alive, so they went home. But one man believed; he waited and waited. Nothing happened, but the town decided to help him. They searched the seas. They looked everywhere. The town gave up, but then somehow, Billy was standing right beside them. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be in the sea?” “Well, when I fell, my friend was right beside me, but I fell on the beach, not in the water. I saw a big splash! A rock fell in.” “Hmm, we made a big fuss about nothing.” The man that was sitting and waiting got up. “I saved him.” “No, you didn’t.” The end.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 16 Bristol’s Pages NATURE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE “I chose these photos because it’s nature!” (I couldn’t chosse between them!) Bristol’s Photo Selections:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 17 Bristol’s Pages (continued) THE NATURE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE by Bristol A long time ago in the lighthouse, there was a Lighthouse Keeper who wanted to grow new kinds of plants. Little did he know it would come back to haunt him. He mixed wildflowers with human DNA to see what would happen, and they came to life. The plants just wanted to help him; they planted themselves in the ground to make sure the one who made them would be happy. Then, they stopped living under normal plants; as soon as they went into the ground, they died. He wanted to see what else he could do, so he made a potion. He just started to smell like lavender, but actually, it was pretty cool. Then he found a stray that was hurt, and he thought maybe he could heal him. So he tried, and he could, then he showed everyone in the world to know his brilliance. So, he started making medicine; at least he helped the world. He just wanted to help. Everyone thought he was very nice to people. He thought the world is a better place now. Then he thought maybe he could do awesome things, so he tried mixing animal with human DNA and then found out he could make time. You can make a friendly animal, and so you have a dog. Can you turn him into a starfish wearing a top hat? Then he renamed himself Dr. Starfish. Dr. Starfish was evil. Maybe he could make his own servants. He took two girls hostage, and they were best friends, and turned them into cats and then did weird experiments on them. Then more people went missing. Doctor Starfish thought, maybe I should not be a starfish, maybe I should be human too instead of just being a starfish. I will be king, master of the world, and I will win. That is the end.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 18 Chloe’s Pages THE MAGIC STAIRS “I chose this photo because I think it looks kinda cool.” Chloe’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 19 Chloe’s Pages (continued) THE STAIRS by Chloe Once upon a time, a young boy named Jayden was going for a walk. He found a lighthouse. Jayden decided to have a look. He opened the creaky, rusty door and walked inside. He saw a pair of stairs and said, “Wow, I wish this place wasn’t so rusty.” The rust started to glow blue, yet Jayden had not noticed. He looked around to see the rust was gone. He ran home and thought about what had happened. A few days later, Jayden went back with some friends. They walked in and looked around. “Whoa, I’m surprised it’s this clean here,” said one of his friends. Jayden called, “Hey guys, watch this.” Jayden walked up the stairs and shouted, “I wish I had $200!” It turned silent. One of his friends snickered. They left him in the lighthouse. A beautiful young girl appeared behind him. “Hello, Jayden,” she said. Jayden jumped a bit. “Hello, ma’am,” Jayden said. The girl smiled. “I’m Hazel, it’s nice to meet you!” Jayden smiled awkwardly as he looked around. Hazel then said, “Check your pocket.” Jayden checked his pocket and found $200. He smiled and said, “Well, thank y-” Hazel cut him off. “I have to go now,” Hazel said. She waved goodbye then disappeared. Jayden smiled and ran back to his friends, acting like nothing happened. The end.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 20 Eli’s Pages THE LIGHTHOUSE “I like it because it has the whole lighthouse in it.” Eli’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 21 Eli’s Pages (continued) THE LIGHT BULB by Eli Once upon a time, there was a lighthouse. This lighthouse, in particular, has saved the most ships in the world. One dark night, there were some bullies throwing rocks at the lighthouse keeper. One rock was heading right towards the lighthouse keeper; luckily, he was able to get out of the way just in time. The rock hit the light bulb instead. A few weeks later, on one foggy night, a boat came down and couldn’t see anything because the light bulb was broken. The boat was starting to get really close to the rocks before lightning struck. They quickly were able to turn away from the rocks, and everybody was saved! THE END
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 22 Emma’s Pages TREE CORNER “I like this photo because it has a tree in the corner.” Emma’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 23 Emma’s Pages (continued) THE BLOODY SHIP by Emma There was a girl named “Ruby” who loved to climb the lighthouse. One day, while she was climbing up the lighthouse, the railing under her broke, which made her fall. “Mom!” Ruby cried out before she passed out from the blood coming out of her head. Ruby’s mom ran to her, picked her up, and brought her inside. Ruby woke up two days later in her bed. “Mom!” Ruby called out as she grabbed her blanket and covered herself. Her dad came to her and picked her up. He carried her to the family ship. The ship and Ruby’s clothes got covered with blood. Ruby’s dad steered the ship to an abandoned island and left her there. He then steered back to the house and told everyone Ruby fell in the water, which was a lie. Ruby was never seen again, only her blood still remains stained on the ship. They decided to call it the Bloody Ship. Her family still says to others that they can hear her voice whispering into their ears at night to this day. Then, three days after Ruby went missing, her dad disappeared from his bed in the middle of the night.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 24 Evie’s Pages Evie’s Photo Selection: THE LADDER “I chose this photo because the staircase looks cool and because it looks like it goes on forever.”
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 25 Evie’s Pages (continued) THE NEVER-ENDING STAIRCASE by Evie Chapter 1 Tina, Alice, and Lola all loved going down to the Sheringham Point Lighthouse. However, they had never been inside. They always wondered what it looked like. They could not go in for two reasons, and their mothers said it was forbidden. Lola, as the naughty one in the group, suggested they go in. Listening to Lola, they opened the big door and inside the door was a staircase. “Just a staircase?” said Tina under her breath. “It is kind of eerie,” Alice said. “Yeah, maybe we should come back tomorrow,” Tina said. “Okay,” said Lola. Chapter 2 The next day, the three girls walked back to the lighthouse. “You know, maybe when I get my driver’s license, I’ll drive us down here every day,” said Lola. “That sounds nice,” said Alice. “Let’s go in the lighthouse again,” Lola said. “Okay,” said Tina. They went inside. “Let’s go up the stairs,” Lola said. “Ummm, okay,” Alice said. The girls went up the stairs and were never seen again. Some say they’re dead, and some say they’re still climbing the stairs to this very day. The end.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 26 Georgia’s Pages ESCAPING THE LIGHTHOUSE “I chose this photo because I like how it shows the railing and the ocean view. I also love the waves are crashing on the rocks.” Georgia’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 27 Georgia’s Pages (continued) THE SEA DRAGON by Georgia It was a Monday morning at the Sheringham Lighthouse. Annabelle and her father lived at the lighthouse with their dog, Whiskey. One day, Whiskey was barking at something in the water. Annabelle ran outside to stop Whiskey from barking when all of a sudden she heard a loud bubbling sound in the water. She looked down and saw a whole pool of bubbles. She called her father outside to check it out, and by the time he got out there, the bubbles were completely gone. Her father did not believe a word Annabelle said. The next day at noon, Annabelle was sitting on the cliff with Whiskey, waiting for the bubbles to come back. She sat there for hours just listening to the waves crash while waiting for the bubbles. A few hours later, as it was starting to get dark, Whiskey suddenly started barking at something in the water. Annabelle heard Whiskey barking, so she got up and looked over the edge. She looked down and saw a huge glowing eyeball. Annabelle was so terrified that she screamed. She screamed so loud that she woke her father. Her father ran down the ladder of the lighthouse to see what she was screaming at. By the time he got out there, Annabelle was just crying, and Whiskey was gone. Her father asked her, “Where is Whiskey?” Annabelle pointed down into the water and said, “He took him.” Her father was furious to know what happened. The next morning, while Annabelle was still sleeping, her father got in his boat and went to see what Annabelle meant by “they took him.” Annabelle woke up and noticed that her father was gone. She went outside and saw her father in his little rowboat, calling out Whiskey’s name. When all of a sudden, he came across the giant sea monster. It had dark green scales and bright blue eyes. The dragon was angry. Annabelle’s father asked the dragon for Whiskey back. The dragon denied it. The dragon said, “I will give you Whiskey back if you give me what I want.” Annabelle’s father asked, “What do you want?” “I want the lighthouse,” said the dragon. The father denied. The dragon gave Whiskey back and then knocked down the lighthouse with his tail. The End.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 28 Jacob’s Pages Jacob’s Photo Selection: THE RUSTY THING “I chose this photo because it looks cool.”
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 29 Jacob’s Pages (continued) Once upon a time, there was a guy who lived in a lighthouse. His name was Bob. Bob had owned the lighthouse for over 50 years. One time, Bob went into the dark basement to grab some potatoes. Suddenly, the door swung shut, and he got locked in the basement and died. 50 years later, Bob the lighthouse keeper still walks around the lighthouse, but once in a while, he turns on the light. Sometimes people go missing there too, but they’re only rumors. One year later, Jim the investigator went to see what was going on at the lighthouse. He went inside. There were old broken chairs and tables; suddenly, a shadow moved across the room. It ran into the basement, and he slowly walked down with his flashlight. Then he saw the shadow come after him. So he ran out of the lighthouse and never came back again. Time passed, and the lighthouse was falling apart. It was all rusty and old. They were going to take it down. Luckily, they forgot to do it, and everybody forgot about the old lighthouse. 10 years later, some teenagers were exploring the forest and found the old lighthouse. They went to explore it. They went inside, looked around the lighthouse, and suddenly they heard a voice. It said, “Get out!” The teenagers ran as fast as they could all the way home. Soon the news was all over town, in the newspapers, and on the news. Everybody knew about it. People were making plans to take the lighthouse down. It was falling apart anyway. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and they were taking the lighthouse down with giant machines, bulldozers, and cranes. There were a lot of them too. When they were taking the lighthouse down, one of the workers noticed a shadow run into the forest. He said, “It must be my imagination,” and he kept on working. Years passed, and Bob the lighthouse keeper lives in the forest trees growing over the place where a lighthouse keeper used to live with his family. THE END!! THE HAUNTED LIGHTHOUSE by Jacob
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 30 Jake’s Pages Jake was unable to join with us on this project, and when we visited the lighthouse. But if he had been there, we think he’d have taken some photos like these.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 31 Jake’s Pages (continued)
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 32 Jax’s Pages DEADLY WAVES “I chose this photo because I could imagine the sound of the waves and how they look cool.” Jax’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 33 Jax’s Pages (continued) THE HAUNTED LIGHTHOUSE by Jax Once upon a time, there was a haunted lighthouse. The owner of the lighthouse was named Bobby. One night, the waves were really high. Bobby went outside to see what was going on. After he went outside, lightning struck a tree, and it fell on him, and Bobby died. Everybody was very disappointed that Bobby died. However, Bobby was still alive, though he was a very different person. Bobby became mean. When Bobby rose from the dead, he turned off the light in the lighthouse. Last night, eight ships hit the shore, and nobody survived because of Bobby. When they realized the ships crashed because of the lighthouse, they sent a new owner. Bobby was ready to kill. He put a bomb in the driveway, and when the owner arrived, his car blew up into pieces. His hat got stuck in the bushes. The next day, Bobby was very mad that they were trying to get a new owner of the lighthouse. Bobby put up a fence, an electric fence. After Bobby made the fence, the next owner arrived, and he opened the gate, and boom boom, he got electrocuted, and there was Bobby, laughing on the other side.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 34 Jesse’s Pages COOL! “I chose this photo because I felt like it. And it was cool!” Jesse’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 35 Jesse’s Pages (continued) HAUNTED LIGHTHOUSE by Jesse 100 years ago, there was a lighthouse. During construction, a worker became trapped in a crawl space that only he knew about. All the workers reported him missing, so the construction of the lighthouse was halted. When the police arrived, they never found him. Eighty years later, some teenagers broke in and had a party. Five years later, in 1985, some people broke in and tried to communicate with the spirit, but they got nothing. Now, it’s present day, 2010, and a person by the name of Vox is there. Vox went to the lighthouse and investigated. He found the skeleton and called the police. Then Vox continued with the investigation. Five weeks later, Vox returned to the lighthouse with his big fat nuggets to further investigate. When they left, they found nothing. So they left. And they never came back. THE END
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 36 Kayden’s Pages RISING SEAS “: I like this photo because it looks cool. I chose it because when I saw it I wanted to make a sea story.” Kayden’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 37 JACK by Kayden Kayden’s Pages (continued) Once upon a time, there was a person named Jack. He had a dog, and Jack named him Jimmy. Jack went on a boat to go whale watching. While he was whale watching, something caught his eye. It was a whale and it was really big. Jack drove the boat closer to it and when he saw it, he couldn’t believe his eyes. It was actually a blue whale. Blue whales are huge, so the first thing Jack did was take a picture. He took a bunch of pictures. When Jack was done, he decided to go back. As he was driving his boat, he realized that he was lost and since he was in the middle of the ocean, he couldn’t call for help. Now, Jack was stranded in the middle of the ocean and he was worried that his dog was going to be scared of being alone for a long time. Jack had brought some food and water on the boat, so he wouldn’t starve or get thirsty. An hour passed and he was really nervous and scared, hoping for a miracle. After a little while, he saw a light. The closer he got to the light, the brighter it was. He got close enough to see what it actually was; the light was from a lighthouse. He was surprised that he was saved and not stranded in the middle of nowhere. Jack got to touch land after one and a half hours. He pulled out his phone and saw that he was at a lighthouse far away from his hometown. He started walking and after a while, he gave up and decided to call for help. “Ring ring ring, hello,” Jack said. “Hello, it’s th-” Jack, confused, said, “Hello?” It turns out they had a power outage which just made Jack sad. He thought that he was going to go back home and never go on a boat again because he was scarred for life. Jack decided to walk around and call again. After a while, they actually picked up the phone. “Ring ring ring, Hellooo?” “Hi, this is 911. What’s your emergency?” “I’m in the middle of nowhere. Can you please send help?” “Okay, we’re sending a helicopter to your location, just stay calm, sir.” “Okay.” Jack sighed in relief. After half an hour, Jack questioned, “Why are they taking so long? It feels like it’s been forever.” The helicopter showed up and took Jack to the police station, where a cop drove him to his house. Jack went to his house and the first thing that happened was his dog, Jimmy, jumped on him. At night, as he was about to fall asleep, he remembered to never go on a boat ever again, alone that is.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 38 Kenzie’s Pages THE LOST GIRL “I chose this photo because I love the sky in the photo.” Kenzie’s Photo Selection: LIGHTHOUSE by Kenzie It was a bright day at the Sheringham Lighthouse. Two girls came to go for a swim. It was a short walk to the lighthouse because they lived right above it. Katie was 13 and Lylah was 12. Lylah and Katie loved to swim. Today wasn’t just a normal day at the lighthouse. They decided to jump from a different cliff. They walked over there, kicking rocks, when they heard something in the bush. “Ahhh!” they screamed. Cont...
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 39 Kenzie’s Pages (continued) A dark brown-haired man with light blue eyes jumped out. He grabbed Katie, and Lylah opened the door to the lighthouse. Katie and Lylah were screaming for their lives. He climbed up the stairs to the top of the lighthouse, pushed them to the wall, and then tied them up with a rope against the side of the lighthouse. He left, climbing down the stairs. Katie and Lylah started to cry. “How are we going to get down?” said Lylah. Katie and Lylah started to scream. Nobody heard them; they were all alone at the top of the lighthouse. The day passed and they were still up there; they had no way down. Katie and Lylah started to close their eyes. Just when they started to go to sleep, they heard a noise. They looked down as the door opened. Katie and Lylah saw the same guy who trapped them there. He climbed up the stairs, banging the metal. Katie and Lylah started screaming. The man said, “Hey, stop screaming.” Katie and Lylah stopped screaming. “I’m here to give you water and food.” Katie said, “Why did you lock us in here?” The man looked at Katie and left. Just when he was closing the door, he heard something outside. So, he went to look around the lighthouse and saw nothing. He came back to the lighthouse and closed the door. Another day passed and Katie and Lylah were still sleeping. Then Lylah heard a noise. “It sounds like a rock being kicked,” said Katie. “Wake up, Lylah,” said Katie. Lylah woke up. Katie said, “Look, it’s a girl.” As the little girl started to walk closer to the lighthouse, Lylah and Katie started to scream so the little girl could see them. The little girl looked up. “Hey mom, look at the two girls up at the top of the lighthouse,” said the little girl. Katie and Lylah continued to scream. “I think they see us,” said Katie. The mom pulled out her phone and called someone. Lylah and Katie were so happy. Lylah said, “I wonder who she is calling.” Ten minutes passed and they heard sirens. They looked to the left and there were the cops and the ambulance. “Yay!” they shouted. The cops came up the stairs and untied the rope. Lylah and Katie climbed down the stairs and walked over to the mom and girl. “Thank you so much,” said Katie and Lylah. Just before they went into a car, they saw the same guy who trapped them in the lighthouse. Lylah and Katie started to run toward the man. The man saw them running to him. He started to run too. Katie and Lylah were starting to get tired. “I don’t think I can run anymore,” said Katie. They stopped running. The man ran off into the bush. Katie and Lylah never caught the man. From that day forward, they never went back to the Lighthouse. LIGHTHOUSE (cont.)
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 40 Kiarra’s Pages Kiarra’s Photo Selection: THE LOST LAND “I chose this photo because I thought it would make a nice spooky story.”
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 41 THE LOST LAND by Kiarra Kiarra’s Pages (continued) Once, there was a boy and girl who loved to explore. Their names were Nick and Lola. One day, Nick and Lola went to explore. Suddenly, Lola found a mysterious cave. Lola yelled for Nick. Nick came running. “What is it, Lola?” “Look what I found, Nick.” “What is it?” “I think it is a really old lighthouse. Let’s go take a look.” When they started to walk, a white lady with no legs was watching. “We made it, Nick! Wow, we really did make it.” When Nick and Lola got to the lighthouse, they wanted to go inside, so the ghost lady came in too. “Nick, I’m really cold. Can we go home?” “No, Lola, I want to stay.” “Fine, we can stay only because I do not know my way home.” When they found a place to sleep, they did not know that the ghost lady was watching them sleep. When they were fast asleep, the ghost lady said, “I wish I could be just like them. Hmm, I wonder what their names are. I will ask in the morning.” In the morning, Lola had a big loud yawn that woke Nick up. “Lola, do you have to yawn so loud!” Before Lola could answer Nick, she was frozen. “Lola, please answer me!” “Lolook, N-nick.” Nick looked behind him and froze. “Umm, h-hi, m-my n-name is umm C-Chloe.” “Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Lola, and this is Nick.” “Hi Lola and Nick. Umm, why are you guys here? You should not be here. It’s very dangerous here. You need to go now.” “What, why can we not stay?” “Lola, Chloe said we need to leave, so let’s go.” “I do not want to go. I like it here. I still have so many questions. I am so sorry, Lola.” “Wait, okay, fine. You can stay only for one more day.” “YAY! We can stay. Did you hear what Chloe said?” “Chloe said we can stay, yay,” said Nick sarcastically. “Great, come with me, Nick and Lola. Do you want to know how I died?” “Yes, yes, I do. I want to know how you died.” “Okay, here we go. Everyone was yelling while I was just a kid. I think they were yelling, ‘RUN! GET OFF THE BOAT! WHERE IS CHLOE? SOMEONE FIND CHLOE!’ No one could hear me crying until everything went dark. And then I just woke up on the beach. I was about 7 when I woke up, not knowing how I was 7.” “Cool, wait, how old were you when you were crying on the boat?” “I was 6. Well, time to go home. Bye Lola and Nick, I will miss you.” “Bye Chloe. Wait, one more thing, how old are you?” “I am 23 now.”
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 42 Kohen’s Pages THE WATER “I like this photo because it was a really pretty landscape.” Kohen’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 43 Kohen’s Pages (continued) THE DEEP WATER by Kohen At the lighthouse, Billy was living happily with his father. It was summer at the lighthouse, and Billy and his father went to the lake to go swimming. Then, when Billy jumped into the lake, he was pulled in by a creature. Billy’s dad immediately jumped into the lake. It was too dark and deep to see anything, so he got out of the water and called the police. He told them what happened, and they came to the lighthouse. They brought scuba diving gear to the lighthouse. They dove down into the lake but never came back up. More scuba divers went down, but they came up terrified. The cops asked them what they saw. They didn’t speak. Their bodies were shaking. Three scuba divers went down, but only two came up. They went back and reported what they saw. They couldn’t speak for three days because they were in shock. They told everyone what they saw, and everyone was also in shock.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 44 Landon’s Pages THE OLD LIGHTHOUSE “I chose this photo because it has a nice view.” Landon’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 45 JERRY’S HAT by Landon Landon’s Pages (continued) Once upon a time, there was a kid named Jerry who wanted to be a lighthouse keeper like his dad. Jerry loved to go inside the lighthouse with his dad, and they always looked at the sunset together. 20 years later, Jerry’s dad passed away and promoted Jerry to be the new lighthouse keeper. Jerry was really happy to be a lighthouse keeper, but he was also sad that his dad had passed. As Jerry got older, he got married and was a good lighthouse keeper. He also really liked to sketch in the giant forest. Jerry started sketching houses, one after another, until he sketched the perfect one. Jerry started building a big house for his wife because she was pregnant. The build was going well, then a big wave came and destroyed half of the house. Jerry was really upset about the problem with the house, so he went to bed with his wife. And Jerry was dreaming about all the stress about the lighthouse and the house for his wife. The next day, Jerry decided he was going to go to town to shop for food. But he got distracted by a really nice hat, so he decided to buy it. One day, the wind was really strong. Today, Jerry’s hat went flying. He tried to grab it but he slipped and fell onto a big cliff and he was hanging from the cliff. It was really slippery! He was slipping and he fell into a cave. It seemed like he was underground. It was extremely cold down there. He was trying to find his way out until he got lost. He heard weird noises coming from a wide tunnel. It sounded like some sort of monster and then a big monster came out of the wide tunnel. It was chasing Jerry and he was running as fast as he could. The wind started to get really strong. He found a staircase and ran up it. He was safe! The monster got stuck in the cave. Jerry was frightened that day and lucky. He went to bed and woke up the next morning. The wind was really strong and he made coffee and relaxed on the front step. A second later, his hat flew right off his head and he ran as fast as he tried to grab it. There was a giant hole up ahead and the townspeople tried to warn him; Jerry couldn’t hear them and he tripped and fell into the hole. The cave looked similar to the other one and then out of nowhere, a monster came and ate Jerry. Jerry’s hat was still out in that cave and the hat flew back through the town and through the forest and to the lighthouse, and Jerry was never seen again.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 46 Ledger’s Pages THE LIGHTHOUSE “I chose this photo because it’s the best one I took.” Ledger’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 47 Ledger’s Pages (continued) JACK’S WHALES by Ledger There was a little boy named Jack. One day, Jack jumped on a rock with his sketchbook and started sketching. His dad took him fishing, and Jack caught a bunch of fish. When Jack got home, he and his dad cooked all the fish for dinner. The next day, he saw a big thing out in the ocean. He looked closer and realized it was a big whale. Jack never sees whales, so he was super excited. Jack started to feed the whales, and the whales loved it so much. The next day, there were more whales. Jack bought more food for the whales. The lighthouse was full of food that was really stinky, so Jack had to put it somewhere else. However, he didn’t have a place to put the fish, so he started saving up for a shed to put the whales’ food in. Jack started doing chores around the lighthouse to get paid for doing chores. He didn’t stop feeding the whales, so he just put the food right beside the lighthouse, and it worked for now. It was starting to get dark out, so Jack went to bed, but when he woke up, he was really sick. He had a fever, so his mom got him some warm tea to make him feel a little bit better, but not much better. He had to lay on the couch all day. Jack hated it. Jack asked his mom if she could feed the whales, but when she went to feed the whales, they wouldn’t eat because it wasn’t Jack. Jack stayed home and read Harry Potter because it’s his favorite book. Jack ate some medicine to make him feel better and went to sleep while he waited for the medicine to kick in. When he woke up, he felt better, so he went straight to the whales. The whales were waiting for him; they were so hungry they ate all of the fish.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 48 Lilly’s Pages LIGHTHOUSE “I chose this photo bBecause it is my favourite photo and it is perfect for my story, and it is beautiful.” Lilly’s Photo Selection:
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 49 Lilly’s Pages (continued) THE RAVEN’S GREAT ESCAPE by Lilly Once there was a raven. The raven was in jail. Oddly enough, the jail was a lighthouse, and at night the lighthouse came to life. The lighthouse had no keeper, so it spun itself. Then one night, the raven managed to escape. After the raven escaped, he had no home, so he built a fort. Then all of a sudden, he would get super bossy. That’s his personality. Finally, his fort worked, and he went to sleep. In the morning, he realized the lighthouse never goes back to normal. It keeps spinning. So the raven ignored it. But he could not. He said, “Lighthouse, no, lighthouse, noo noo!” So he walked away. Then he flew away. As he was flying, he saw his home was burned down to the ground while he was in jail. He went down to the house. Inside the house was… his wife! She was really hurt. The house was a blur of the lighthouse. Then he asked his wife, “Are you okay, Moon?” All she said was, “Get the kids, Raven.” The kids! He forgot about the kids. “Umm, okay,” he said. So he went to look for the kids. As he was flying, he saw the kids. The kids were freezing. So he flew down to get them. As he had them in his feathers, they got warm. So he brought them back to their mom. Two years later, Moon and Raven’s kids are old enough to leave them. So Star and Luna leave on their journey. Sooner than later, Luna finds a mate. They build a nest together. Star had gotten killed by a bear. Later, when Luna was laying in her nest, her mate Shadow was hunting. He saw the perfect fish. So he flew down and got it. He brings it to Luna, and she feeds it to her babies. Then Shadow does something really bad, so he gets put in jail. It’s his first night in jail. He doesn’t know that the lighthouse moves. So he thinks it’s an earthquake. A few years later, he went home. When he came home, the house wasn’t there. Soon he found them. And they lived happily ever after. The End.
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 50 Lucas B’s Pages SCARY STAIRS “I like the photo because it would be good in a story.” Lucas B’s Photo Selection: