On Thursday, August 22, Arkansas BlueCross BlueShield will sponsor the Pep Rally with a Purpose on the campus of Magnolia High School. The rally, presented by Hootens.com, is a lead-up to the BC/BS Kickoff Classic between the Magnolia Panthers and the Warren Lumberjacks. The game will be Tuesday, August 27 at Wilkens Stadium on the campus of Southern Arkansas University.

The Pep Rally with a Purpose event will include three parts. The MHS football team, spirit groups, and band will first participate in a meal packing activity. Arkansas BC/BS will bring donated food items for the students to pack up into individual meals. The goal is to pack 20,000 meals in 90 minutes to benefit local food pantries.

Secondly, the student groups will be treated to a BBQ dinner in Panther Café. The dinner is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m.

The final part of the event will be a community pep rally held in Panther Arena. The pep rally will include opening remarks from Chad Hooten, a check presentation by Arkansas BC/BS, coaches’ remarks, and cheer team and band performances. The pep rally is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. and the community is encouraged come support all of the MHS student groups as they begin another school year.