Sophomore Solomon Parker performed "Whatcha Say" by Jason Derulo during Whitman Idol last night. Photo by Keegan Barber.

Enthusiastic parents and students, who all donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the door, walked into the auditorium last night to experience Whitman Idol. Some people were even toting homemade signs with their friends names on them to show their support.

This year’s Whitman Idol started with an opening video to the American Idol theme, where the contestants were asked humorous questions including one about their favorite song to sing in the shower. The answers ranged from Miley Cyrus to the Cheetah Girls and received a decent amount of laughs from the audience.

After the video, all 10 contestants came onto the stage to sing a high-spirited Beatles’ medley while holding hands and dancing. The song finished with “Let it Be” and then the three teachers-turned-judges, Mr. Gohn, Ms. Frank and Mr. Shipley, were introduced.

The judges gave feedback after each performance, which usually consisted of praise with some constructive criticism.

Though all contestants were more than worthy of being on the stage, some of the singers stole the show and left the audience captivated. Sophomore Samantha Thurber was the third act, and the first to have live accompaniment. Junior Siddhu Andalingham backed her up on the piano as she sang “Oh” by Eric Hutchinson. Thurber got the audience clapping, albeit not entirely on the beat as Shipley stated after the performance.

Freshman Emma Keteltas had an incredibly powerful voice, and got loud applause from the audience and judges. The judges enjoyed her selection of “Leave the Pieces” by The Wreckers, and Gohn even joked that she was a freshman he could tolerate.

“It was really fun, a little scary at first, but I met a lot of great people,” Keteltas said of the experience.

With guitar accompaniment, junior Sarah Tyson sang “Cry Me a River” by Julie London. Tyson emanated the sultriness and mystique that London gave to the song, but still put her own jazziness into it.

Up after Tyson was sophomore football star Daniel Duncan-Williams who sang “So Sick” by Ne-Yo. Williams really came alive onstage and gave the song an earnestness, which isn’t commonly heard. This got him many cheers, especially from the ladies.

The second place winner, senior Ellen Hoffman showed off her musical skills by playing guitar and singing. Her song choice of “Can’t Take my Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli matched her voice and pleasant demeanor onstage.

As the winner of the show, sophomore Anna Martin dominated the auditorium with her voice and had one of the best stage presences of the night as she sang Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy.” She moved back and forth across the stage and put her soul into the performance.