“The thing that runs through all of our characters is this idea of trauma and how to deal and work with that”: Peyton List, Sarah Yarkin and Nick Pugliese on School Spirits

New YA series School Spirits is based on the upcoming graphic novel written by Maria Nguyen and Nate and Megan Trinrud. This intriguing eight-episode story centres around the mysterious murder of a high school student, called Maddie Nears, who gets stuck in the afterlife. 

With the help of the Split River Afterlife Support Group, Maddie meets other ghosts of teenagers who have died on school grounds over the course of the preceding century and starts to piece together the very last moments before her untimely death. Told through the students’ eyes, the heartbreaking deaths are detailed at the group’s circle meetings, bringing topics of trauma, teacher/student trust and bullying to the surface. It’s a race against the clock to find the person who killed Maddie before evidence is lost or destroyed and a first for her ghost as she discovers she can communicate with the living, which might help uncover the very answers she’s been looking for.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of talking to star Peyton List, Sarah Yarkin and Nick Pugliese about the series and the graphic novel it’s based on, their individual personalities as they join forces as the ghosts of Split River, and how important it was to be inclusive and offer representation for a current YA audience. They also discussed the key themes, what they wish they could go back and say to themselves in high school, and some of the major moments and highlights of filming the show in Vancouver. 

Ezelle Alblas

School Spirits is released on 10^th March 2023. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for School Spirits here: