As our planet’s population increases everyday, the amount of voices that go unheard rises along with it. On Tuesday, Oct. 8, high school staff and students from both the north and south sides of Ankeny are invited to Open Mic Night at the Ankeny High School (AHS) media center to let their voices be heard.

After nearly 70 shows, spanning back to before the high schools split into north and south, AHS’s head teacher librarian Jenny Wirtz and Centennial’s head teacher librarian Tom Honz, the individuals in charge of orchestrating this night,  have seen it all. From K-pop performances to spoken poetry, Open Mic Night becomes more open every year. 

“We get a lot of singers that sing with a track off YouTube,” Wirtz said. “Last year we had a foreign exchange student who did a dance from their homeland. They had an outfit and flags from their homeland, and used music from their culture. It was really cool.”

Many students face overlap when looking to partake in multiple extracurricular activities. It can get hard to balance things such as performances and sports games.

“I think Open Mic Night is important because it gives students a chance to perform, who have no stage,” Wirtz said. 

To perform in front of a crowd takes an exceptional amount of courage. At Open Mic Night, students are offered an opportunity to perform proudly without fear of embarrassment.

“You want to start over? Start over. Nothing has to be perfect,” Wirtz said. “You wrote a song, but you only know half? Just play what you know.”

Performers range from staff, to students, to even AHS Principal Dr. Daniel DJ Johnson. With multiple open mic night performances under his belt, along with a long history of talking in front of crowds, no one knows better about the courage it takes to step up on a stage and express yourself.

“I know there are individuals who love music. They really, really love music and want to make a statement to the world with their music, but they’re afraid to show that side of themselves,” Johnson said. “If my scared butt can get up there, so can you.”

Junior Mark Perry, a returning performer, claims to have lived without stage fright until recently. This year, choosing the singing route as opposed to doing comedy, Perry recognizes that he may have something that people want to hear.

“I stopped being scared for myself and started performing for other people’s entertainment,” Perry said.

Fear of performing is completely understandable, but if you can convince yourself to do it just once, you may be surprised with the results. You’ll never know until you try it.

“Follow your heart,” Perry said. “You may overcome your fear.”

Open Mic Night is a chance to express yourself freely in a space where you are in control. If your dream is a career full of performances, you have to start somewhere, and this is the perfect place to start.

“You can be the worst performer in the world and we are going to clap and tell you that you did a great job,” Wirtz said. “This is your moment to have a stage and an audience.”