New Madrid County R-1 welcomes alumni home

New Madrid Count Central High School band director Ryan Blocker, left, watches as the band members rehearse Monday in preparation for the homecoming show set for Friday night during the football game halftime. The band will also be featured in the school's homecoming parade set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Central High School Campus. Throughout the week, the students are showing their school spirit with this year's theme of "Home is Where the Heart is" and on Monday students were "comfy at home" with many wearing their pajamas.

Jill Bock/Standard Democrat

NEW MADRID, Mo. —New Madrid County Central High School students are celebrating “Home Is Where the Heart Is” with their 2018 homecoming.

School officials are in hopes that alumni continue to have their alma mater in their hearts and return to the school to join the students as they celebrate with a parade, pep rally and, of course, football.

Already, students have shown their homecoming spirit during specially themed dress-up days through the week. Celebrating this year’s theme of “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” on Monday, students showed they were “Comfy at Home” by wearing pajamas to school followed on Tuesday by dressing as farmers for “Sweet Home NMCC” and today each class is wearing a designated color to show “We Are All in ThisTogether.” On Thursday, the students will “Protect the Nest” by dressing as their favorite superhero and will end the week wearing the school’s colors.

For the R-1 communities and alumni, activities gear up Thursday beginning with the homecoming parade which takes place at the Central campus. Lineup for the parade begins at 5:45 p.m. Thursday with the parade scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

A pep rally at the football field will follow the parade.

A tailgate party for alumni and their families is slated to get underway at 5 p.m. Friday at the football stadium parking lot. At 6:30 p.m. homecoming royalty from the high school classes will be introduced and the homecoming queen crowned.

Organizers have asked NMCC alumni who graduated from 1980 through 1990 to meet at the flag pole inside the football field at 6:30 p.m. These classes will form a tunnel for the football team to run through.

NMCC, which has compiled a 3-0 record this season, will play football Doniphan. The game begins at 7 p.m.

Events for students will continue with the homecoming dance at 9:30 p.m. Friday.