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An even wilder celebration was brought on at the show's end around 7:55 p.m., when judge Randy Jackson formally approved Murray's return with trickery, saying he was sorry, but it looked like Murray would be "spending a lot more time with us."
Olivia Broome, 17, of Columbia, said her schoolmate's performance of "Reflections" was the best performance she had seen from Murray.
"She's a beautiful girl and has a beautiful spirit and voice," Broome said. "She just has that entire package. Singing Christina Aguilera was a wise choice for her - it played a large part of her being in the Top (13)."
MSA students who know Murray were waiting on an Aguilera performance, knowing how often Murray has declared the pop singer her favorite. Oxford's Maddie Miller, 17, said Murray's assurance in singing a song from her musical mentor showed through.
"She was really confident and more determined tonight," she said. "She really went for it. When you get kind of put down, you try to really rise above. She sat down and really centered herself and took advantage of what she had."
Ellie Sills, 16, of Vicksburg, said Murray's performance showcased her voice, and similar songs should be chosen during her "American Idol" future.
"She should just do what she did tonight - pick a great song, throw her heart out on the line and keep making us proud," Sills said.
During her short time in the national spotlight, the native Columbus teenager has made proud far more than just her classmates. MSA Principal Jana Perry said the school has enjoyed more recognition since Murray appeared on "American Idol" than ever in its six-year existence.
"We couldn't ask for more coverage for our campus in the last three to four weeks," she said. "Which, with all the legislative things that have gone on this year, I think it came at a wonderful time."
Perry referenced a January attempt in the Mississippi House of Representatives to close MSA's Brookhaven campus and relocate the school to the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, where it would operate alongside the similar, residential Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science.
The legislation proposed by Democratic committee chairmen Rep. Johnny Stringer and Rep. Cecil Brown was the farthest extension of a small circle of legislators' will to either move or close MSA outright. The bill was defeated after an hour-long debate on the House floor by a vote of 73-43.
Now, in less than two months, MSA has survived the legislative chopping block and appears to be on the verge of a growth spurt. Perry said she could not estimate the number of late applications for the 2009/2010 school year that have been heating up the mailboxes, fax machines and telephones at MSA.
"I would love to, but they keep rolling in," she said. "We're getting applications daily. Our numbers are being bumped up a little bit this year, and there's a lot of outside interest - 'How can we help MSA?' A lot of organizations have called wanting us to perform at their functions, which is wonderful. We need that relationship with our communities around Mississippi."
