And when I say purple it up, I mean let’s do some real purple! The kind of purple my brother Scoob had when the purple shag carpet was installed in his bedroom back in the Seventies. Or, the kind of purple the Phoenix Suns wore on the road when the P-H-O-E-N-I-X and the S-U-N-S was spelled out in an Old West typeface and longtime broadcaster Al McCoy referred to them as “The Purple Gang!” Or the kind of purple you could see on the Saturday morning cartoon, “Grape Ape!”
Of course the best tasting purple is the grape popsicles. Which, not coincidentally, is why we are talking purple at all. Wednesday was National Grape Popsicle Day! With Memorial Day in the rearview mirror, summer is happening. And the best way to beat the summer heat, which is at least 106 degrees where I sit, is by licking this sweet, fruity tasting, purple, frozen confection.
Now I know some people prefer not to have their icy treat on a stick. There are treat mongers in the habit of gnawing on that little cut of lumber like a beaver. Splinters in your tongue are no fun. So, how about a freezing cold slab of purple ice wrapped in plastic? Or, maybe you prefer your frozen purple treat prepared as if an ice-breaker just slammed through the frozen Arctic inside your cup. If that is you, a purple purèed slushee may be your go-to on a hot May 27 day.
Grape popsicles may not be what what Queen Elizabeth devours, but purple is the color of royalty so it is no wonder so many schools adopt it as their own. One such school, Girls leadership Academy of Arizona, has been the academic institution I have taken great pride in. In 2015 I joined the faculty and have had the pleasure of interacting with scores of students at this girls only high school. Wearing their purple uniform with pride, they made strides to become the very best. The Warriors wore the purple championing our community in athletic competition. Purple runs through our veins.
This school year is coming to an end, and so we must bid the Class of 2020 adieu. There will not be a class photo of the GLAAZ graduates in their purple caps and gowns. COVID-19 took that way from us. Nonetheless, they will long be remembered in the hallowed academic hallway of Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona. These young ladies are beginning to blaze their paths into the future. I can only hope that the road they take carries them to places rewarding and full of joy. It has been an outstanding four years.
