It is that time of year again for students to bust out their hidden, or not hidden, talents for a chance to perform in front of the whole school during the fall pep rally. While last year’s talent competition was limited to singing, this year the choir decided to broaden the competition to include other acts as well.

“We expanded the show in order to get more people involved,” choir president Jessenia Ingram said. “We want to showcase a variety of talent, not just singing.”

However, differences between last year’s West Idol and this year’s West’s Got Talent ends there. Students will still audition and must get past preliminaries in order to be able to perform both nights in front of student and adult judges. Among these auditionees are junior Donald Fielding and his choir ensemble.

“We have a couple of songs planned, but we’re not sure yet,” Fielding said. “I love performing on stage, and by now I feel pretty confident about it.”

On the other hand, last year’s third place winner senior Maitreyi Narayan felt different about singing on stage.

“It was terrifying,” Narayan said. “But once you start, you get this adrenaline rush, and that helps you keep going. Practicing really shows up when you get on stage, so to the people auditioning, remember to prepare well.”

Auditions, held on Sept. 13 and 14, determined which students will be moving on into the actual competition. From there, they will perform in mid-October in front of both a panel of student judges on the first night, and then a panel of adult judges on the second night. The grand prize winner will show off their talent at the fall pep rally.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the different acts and discovering everyone’s talents,” Ingram said. “I hope to see something unexpected and unique.”