Orchestra lines up before the concert. 
Maddie Cheng, President of Key Club and organizer of the concert, introduces the first performance. After having the idea almost a year ago, she was able to “combine [her] two passions,” Key Club, and performing arts, in a benefit concert on Jan. 24. 
Choir, directed by Jill Denny, performed the songs “Home” and “I Love You/What a Wonderful World.” All photos by Carly Heltzel. 
Cellists watch the band perform . 
Multiple bands combined to perform together during the concert, conducted by Anna Lind. 
Volunteers gathered beforehand to hand out programs and collect donations. 
Key Club volunteers collected over 4,200 dollars in donations after the concert. 
As the first performers, all periods of Dance Spectrum performed. Fourth period is depicted here.
Pediatric trauma is the leading cause of death for children in America. Consisting of life-threatening injuries, it causes more deaths than all other causes combined, including homicide and suicide, according to Maddie Cheng.
Recognizing the importance of this issue, Cheng, the president of the Mountain View Key Club, along with much help from the performing arts teachers and several volunteers in the club, organized and held a concert to raise money for the Pediatric Trauma Program on Friday, Jan. 24. For the first time, all of the performing arts, including band, orchestra, Dance Spectrum, choir, and theatre came together in a single performance.
Each group had its own featured performances before all departments combined for the final piece Kia Hora, a Maori song written by Christopher Tin. While band, orchestra, and choir performed the song, Dance Spectrum danced with choreography inspired by the lyrics, and members of theatre recited a speech in Maori midway through.
“When I first had this idea, I could have never imagined it would turn out to be something so big,” Cheng said at the beginning of the concert.
Admission was free, so the event relied entirely on donations from the staff and students who attended the concert.
Freshman and Key Club member Sami Frehner says that based on the amount of people who donated and attended the concert, they likely raised a lot of money for the cause.
After an hour of performances and great attendance, volunteers collected over 4,200 dollars in donations to fund the PTP. Other volunteer events throughout the year have contributed to this cause as it is marked as extremely important by Key Club.
According to Cheng, “90 percent of the cases caused by pediatric trauma could actually be prevented.” Because it claims the lives of so many children, Cheng “combined her two passions” and coordinated with performing arts staff to take action.
The concert, which started at 7 p.m., ran until around 8 p.m. It featured a dance performance, appearances from the orchestra and band, two songs performed by choir, and a final performance encompassing the entire school’s performing arts department.
Frehner said she had a great time at the event. As a dedicated Key Club member herself, she describes the concert as, “thoroughly thought out and well planned,” and “a great event for both its cause and for the performances.”