It’s artichoke week.
That’s right—artichokes.
No, not artichoke dip or how to grill the best roasted artichokes.
We’re talking “Artie” the Artichoke, the official mascot of Scottsdale Community College.
Artie the Artichoke is a very unique mascot that will usually prompt people to ask, “why an artichoke?”—the truth is, the artichoke is an important and cherished part of the history of Scottsdale Community College.
The official website for the college describes the decision of the artichoke as the official mascot as one that was, “Born during a period of student unrest in the early 1970s, Artie the Artichoke was adopted as the school’s mascot to express a difference of opinion concerning budget priorities originally intended to be a source of embarrassment, Artie has now been embraced by students, athletes, staff and the community as a beloved character.”
This year, in celebration of Artie’s 51st birthday, Scottsdale Community College hosted the Artichoke Spirit Week!
Last week, students and staff dressed up according to different themes and took part in a week long party highlighting various events while building up to the famous artichoke’s special day.
On Monday the Scottsdale campus was decorated in green and gold, the school colors.
On the same day, students and staff participated in Artie Idol, a karaoke night (some really good singers and some, well, “spirited” singers joined in) at Artie’s Cafe.
One Tuesday students showed off their respective activities by wearing clothes that highlighted teams and organizations.
Wednesday also marked the day of the top seeded Lady Artichokes’ volleyball game. The Lady Artichokes are consistent champs who have capped off a perfect ACCAC record of 16-0. The chokes are now turning their attention to the NJCAA Region 1 Division II Tournament. The Artichokes will enter the tournament as the top seed and will play their first match against #4 seed on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The entire tournament will be hosted at SCC. Visit next week for complete tournament details at www.gochokes.com
Thursday was Artie’s big day as everyone on campus was invited to celebrate Artie’s birthday at the birthday bash. The party included pizza as well as cupcakes and a huge birthday cake prepared by the Culinary Department at Scottsdale Community College.
The event also included a student versus staff tug of war game with the staff—and, the faculty and staff actually won!
The week concluded with a game night. Everyone on campus was invited to relax and play games like foosball, pool and chess and a prize was given for a virtual scavenger hunt.
Dr. Eric Leshinskie, President of Scottsdale Community College told Northeast Valley News, “I love seeing all of our students engaging with each other engaging with the faculty and staff and just having a good time… Artie’s spirit week is a great way to celebrate who we are as artichokes.”
