April 12, 2011 > Singers battle for Irvington Idol Singers battle for Irvington Idol By Rajeswari Ramanathan Photos By Rajeswari Ramanathan The singers increased the volume of their background music on the boom box, gave each other a quick glance, and began humming in harmony. On Friday March 25, freshman Wylie Winheim and junior Harry Liu sang their hearts out for the final round of Irvington High School PTSA's Irvington Idol competition. The two sang a duet for "Lucky," and did solo performances as well, with Wylie singing "Fireworks" and Harry at "Man in the Mirror." In the end, Round 4 judges Mr. Vincent Wu, math teacher, and Mrs. Linda Kimmel, College/Career Center Counselor, and the audience, chose Wylie as the ultimate title winner for Irvington Idol. PTSA initiated the singing competition to raise funds for their organization, and to showcase the vocal talents of Irvington Vikings. The program had a great turnout in the first round with singers coming in-person and through video submissions, as students sang songs of various genres and time periods. In fact, some students went above-and-beyond in bringing their own instruments to accompany their vocals. Singers paid $5 as a participation fee; those eliminated were given a small appreciation award. Eliminations occurred at each round; judges varied depending on afterschool schedules. The four judges were Mrs. Christina Faitel, Ms. Allyson McAuley, Mrs. Kimmel and Mr. Wu. Competition took place afterschool almost every Friday in March in Irvington's Norse Hall, with the audience playing an important role in the last two rounds; they were given a chance to vote for their favorite singer. Winners Wylie and Harry were each given cash prizes.