Among the six performances showcased on April 19 during the talent show, four groups placed and received a monetary prize.

The first place performance went to seniors Caleb Pfeifer, Elizabeth Arthur, and juniors Eric Rorstrom and Mason Wellbrock. They performed a different rendition of the famous song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, with Arthur and Wellbrock as singers, Pfeifer as the main singer and pianist, and Rorstrom playing the viola. The group received a hundred dollar prize.

“I had a feeling that we could win, but I did not necessarily expect it,” Pfeifer said. “We weren’t sure how a secular high school would react to us playing a Christian song, but after the standing ovation occurred, I had a pretty good idea that we would win, which was really awesome.”

Pfeifer wrote the lyrics of the rendition himself, and his friends helped him arrange some lines in the verses.

“The original song “Hallelujah” is by Leonard Cohen, and the piano music that inspired my rendition came from versions done by Rufus Wainwright and the band ‘Cloverton,'” Pfeifer said. “After hearing the these beautiful renditions, one of which was a Christmas version of the song, I got inspired to write a version that shared the Christian gospel and told about Jesus.”

Despite their success, the group had to overcame some hurdles to get this far.

“I actually finished the words to the song about a year and a half ago, so musically wise, the only thing that was recently challenging was to decide on how we would arrange the instruments and singing,” Pfeifer said. “The most challenging part overall was to have the courage to play and sing, and share the Christian gospel in front of hundreds of people.”

Senior Ben Sadler and his magic tricks performance won second place, receiving $50 as a monetary prize.

“People told me to do it last year, but I wasn’t really up for it last year,” Sadler said. “Maybe it’s because I got further out there this year.”

Overall, Sadler was happy with his performance.

“I’m pretty hyped,” Sadler said. “I think I did the best I could do.”

Juniors Hannah Norris and Cooper Flores received third place for their performance of the song ‘Nightmare,’ an original by Norris herself. Norris played the guitar and sang while Flores accompanied her with drums.

Sophomore Nick Davidson also tied for third with his self composed drum solo. Norris, Flores and Davidson will be sharing a $25 prize.

“I wrote that song for my third album, which I’m hoping to record by the end of May,” Norris said. “Performing a new song in front of the entire school was an interesting experience.”

To view a slideshow of the talent show, click here.