During the orchestra’s Alumni Concert, students will play a piece by Park eighth grader Kinsey Scott.

Scott began writing this piece almost a year ago when in Newtown, Conn., when an intruder shot 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Approximately 1,000 miles away from Connecticut, Scott said she was shocked to hear of the events, which occurred the day of her 13th birthday.

“I was taken aback by it. It felt like the worst thing that could happen to children, and something needed to be done about it,” Scott said.

Scott said the lack of discussion in school prompted her to find a means to convey her feelings.

“I felt really motivated to write the piece because none of my teachers discussed what had happened,” she said. “By writing the piece I was able to meet my emotional needs.”

In early January, Scott showed orchestra director Miriam Edgar her piece. After looking over Scott’s work, Edgar decided the orchestra would play it for its next concert.

“When I heard Kinsey’s piece, I thought it would be better represented by the entire orchestra,” Edgar said.

Although Scott wrote the parts of the piece on her own, she and Edgar worked on rearranging it for the orchestra.

“She doesn’t have formal theory training and yet she found ways to write what she felt,” Edgar said. “We have been working on the form of the piece so that people will understand her ideas better.”

Edgar said she is proud of the effort Scott put into her work.

“The fact is that she took this tragedy and made something constructive out of it,” she said.

Edgar said she is also proud of her students’ respect for Kinsey’s musical piece.

“I am really proud of how accepting the high schoolers were of the piece,” Edgar said. “They were willing to try something new and this wouldn’t be something I’d see in another school district.”

Sophomore orchestra student Paul Friederichsen said he is honored to be able to play this piece.

“I think the piece is a great honor to those affected by Sandy Hook,” he said. “It’s impressive that Kinsey wrote it.”

The orchestra, along with alumni of the orchestra program, will perform Scott’s piece and others 7 p.m. Dec. 19 in the high school auditorium.

Scott said she is still astounded the high school orchestra will perform her piece.

“I feel like this is one of the best things that has happened since the shooting,” she said.

“It’s amazing because it’s not just any piece. It’s the one I wrote intended for my emotional needs, and now it’s for everybody,” Scott said.