COAL GROVE — Football players swung pink bandanas in the air as they stormed the gym Thursday at Dawson-Bryant Middle School’s last pep rally of the year.

Raising awareness was the goal for the school’s first ever “pink-out.”

Students, teachers and staff wore pink socks, pants, bandanas, jewelry and T-shirts to support breast cancer awareness month, a project for the student council’s service project.

Kara Moore, council adviser and eighth grade social studies teacher, said it was the students’ idea to wear pink instead of the school colors to support breast cancer awareness month. With only a week to prepare for the pink-out, Moore said a local business helped them create pink T-shirts to sell to the students.

CJT’s Graphics Company created a shirt with a pink ribbon logo and sold them to the school for $5. For every shirt sold, CJT’s pledged to donate $1 to a cancer foundation.

“They were excellent getting them back to us (quickly),” Moore said.

Nearly 200 students bought T-shirts for the cause.

“I was surprised at the numbers,” said Aaron Hankins, council adviser and seventh grade social studies teacher.

Hankins and Moore said that many students have come up to them and shared how breast cancer has touched their lives and their family’s lives.

Moore said the proceeds from the school’s sales of the shirts would go to a breast cancer foundation.

Principal Rock Barrett agreed that the project was a positive that the students can be proud of.

“They gain nothing from it other than helping out and knowing that they’re doing a good thing,” he said.