Grade 11 Student’s First Annual Panther Palooza Raised More Than $1,000 for Local Charity
On Friday, May 6, 2016, junior Millen Schuchert organized the first annual Panther Palooza, and it was a huge success. There were 10 acts, alongside the Sewickley Academy Jazz Ensemble. These acts performed a mix of cover and original songs. The Jazz Ensemble was the house band for the event, performing songs in between acts.
The crowd was electric. People were constantly moving around providing the audience with an energetic vibe. There was occasionally a mosh pit of Middle and Senior School students. These students danced and interacted with the performers. One student was even able to crowd surf in the pit area. Sewickley Academy represented eight of the 10 acts, and a couple of bands from Quaker Valley School District performed as well.
Katie Duggan kicked off the show with her band The Graduates. The rocking introduction gave the show a strong start. The mosh pit got started when the second SA group Millen, Arjun, and Sajen Schuchert performed “All Shook Up.” The band performed two Green Day songs and a Rush song.
Ciara Donohue and McKayla Cox performed a duet to "Valorie." Isabella Alvarado sang a ballad, and played the keyboard. Annie Nagel performed a song by Adele accompanied by Natalia Arbelaez Solano, and Annabel Gillespie.
Cole Luther performed “Unfinished Side” with the Quaker Valley band. Cole played lead guitar, jamming to popular songs such as “Back in Black.”
The band Matt Plays Tambourine (Jake Winningham, Justin Dreyer, Nathan Garvey, Matt Rooney, and Ryan Brown) performed "House of the Rising Sun," the "Campfire Song," and other songs to keep the mosh pit rocking.
The Sewickley Academy Chorus performed "Nightingale" by Norah Jones. Katie Duggan was the soloist with Tim Heavner on keyboard.
Towards the end of the concert, Millen Schuchert, Jake Winningham, and Arjun Schuchert concluded with "Purple Rain" by Prince. In tribute to Prince's historic legacy, one of the theme's for the palooza was purple. This was seen because many of the lights throughout the show were purple.
The show was able to raise more than $1,000 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Millen Schuchert said, “Because this is a local event, we wanted to support a local organization. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is one of my favorite organizations because its goals and message represent an important cause in our community. It is so important that we can pay for food that families need.”
Special thanks to Vanessa Candreva, Nathan Bell, Brian Buckley, Brent Stater, Brittnea Turner, the Student Council, the AV crew, Joe Luther, who donated equipment, and the whole Palooza team.
Thank for supporting the Panther Palooza and we’ll see you next year with an even bigger show!
