School Spirits: Rhonda’s Death Explained

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The supernatural teen drama series “School Spirits” on Paramount+ focuses on Maddie Nears (portrayed by Peyton List, famously known as Tory from “Cobra Kai”), a girl who passed away under strange circumstances and now uncovers her own death case from the afterlife. Although Maddie remains uncertain about her demise, Rhonda Rosen (played by Sarah Yarkin), a member of the Split River High Afterlife Support Group who loves lollipops, vividly recalls her own death. In fact, Rhonda’s story is particularly tragic as she was murdered by her high school guidance counselor when she went to share her joy about getting into her preferred college.

Although Rhonda has been stuck in the high school since 1963 due to a tragic and untrustworthy end, she finds it hard to trust even the members of the Afterlife Support Group. Despite caring for the other spirit teenagers, expressing this affection is challenging for her. This leaves her with a cynical outlook and an unhappy disposition. However, Rhonda yearns to escape the limbo of the high school, and she seeks aid from their ghost mentor, Mr. Martin, a former chemistry teacher at the school played by Josh Zuckerman. Before she can move on, though, Rhonda must face her fears, including the individual who took her life.

How did Rhonda die in School Spirits?

In the 1960s, Rhonda found herself as an average teenager at Split River High School. She nurtured ambitious aspirations of attending Berkeley, and her counselor, Mr. Manfredo (Ryan Dumontel), was supportive in helping her achieve this goal. As Rhonda recounts, Mr. Manfredo was the kindest individual she’d ever come across. Her father was often preoccupied with work, leaving little time for her, and her mother focused more on maintaining a neat home than showing affection towards Rhonda. However, Mr. Manfredo recognized Rhonda’s unique potential and advocated for her. He expressed his desire to see her graduate from high school and explore the world beyond it.

When Rhonda received her acceptance letter from Berkeley and showed it to him, things took a turn. He became distant, and Rhonda understood that not everything was as it seemed. They had an argument when Mr. Manfredo realized that Rhonda didn’t reciprocate his romantic feelings towards her. Eventually, instead of letting Rhonda leave, Mr. Manfredo tragically ended her life by strangulation in his office.

Despite Mr. Manfredo being incarcerated and passing away due to his wrongdoings, it failed to alleviate Rhonda’s predicament. To this day, she remains confined within the school walls, a situation that has lasted for more than six decades. This prolonged entrapment has left her with a profound lack of trust towards others, as she believes people are not always what they seem. Adopting such a pessimistic perspective, it’s no wonder that Rhonda’s ghost story continues to unfold in the high school without any prospect of resolution or moving on by transcending the physical plane.

How Rhonda’s violent death continued to affect her in the afterlife

Towards the close of “School Spirits” Season 1, Rhonda, accompanied by ghostly companions Wally (Milo Manheim) and Charley (Nick Pugliese), discover artifacts, known as death items, that were present when they passed away. For years, these objects have been withheld from them by the ghost teacher Mr. Martin and his student Janet (Jess Gabor), who perished in a chemistry lab fire together. In the third episode of Season 2, titled “Can’t Hauntly Wait,” Rhonda employs her death item – her acceptance letter from Berkeley – to unlock her wound, which symbolizes her own personal Hell. This wound represents Rhonda’s final day on Earth during her time with Mr. Manfredo.

In this new experience, Rhonda feels overwhelming fear, yet it provides valuable insights for the spirits, including Maddie, regarding their post-life existence. Particularly, they discover that their wounds emit a red glow when triggered by keys capable of unlocking them. This knowledge is significant because it suggests a link between these scars and Mr. Martin and Janet, as seen by the radiance surrounding them. Maddie can leverage this connection to unravel the enigma behind her own predicament and hopefully reclaim her physical form (as Janet has taken over Maddie and swapped places with her in the afterlife, though that tale will be told another day). Although Rhonda doesn’t experience the same fortunes as Maddie, she at least begins to have faith in others a little more, bringing her one step closer to moving on.

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2025-04-21 14:30