Practically Purple Pride: Thrall ISD Student-Run Business Thrives

Showing school pride is always in season in Texas. But for students at Thrall ISD, finding spirit gear was once nearly impossible in the small town of about 900 located 45 miles northeast of Austin in Williamson County.

In 2021, teacher Monica Barton, who was new to the district, worked with her four business practicum students to create Practically Purple, a business in which students design, fabricate, market, and sell spirit gear to Thrall ISD school staff and students and the larger Thrall community. Thrall ISD has about 923 students enrolled who live in Thrall and the neighboring small communities of Beaukiss, Shiloh, Noack, Hare, Structure, and Sandoval.

“As their adviser, I assist them with product ideas and purchases and teach them how to market and sell their products,” Barton said.

The practicum is only open to third-year business students, Barton said. This year, six students took the course.

“Mrs. Barton is the perfect person to sponsor a practicum like this,” said senior Brynn Leschber. “She is always helping us come up with ideas for new products and makes sure we have all the materials we need.”

The name came directly from the districts' school colors, which are purple and white. The six students in the class learned different skills to create products sold in the brick-and-mortar shop at Thrall High School.

“There are different main jobs, including laser engraver, embroiderer, and vinyl worker,” Leschber said. “At the beginning of the year, we assign one or two people to a specific job, and we are taught the special skills to do that job.”

Leschber is a vinyl worker, but she has learned to multitask to support the business, which can get quite busy, especially during football season.

“The entire business is run by only six girls,” she said. “On Friday mornings during football season, we make anywhere from $500 to $900 selling spirit items at our elementary school.”

A Range of Products

Everything the students make is customizable, she said. Some of the items sold at the store include door signs, koozies, embroidered napkins and blankets, and cutting boards. They also sell smaller spirit items, such as small megaphones, tumblers, hair bows, bells, handheld fans, dog tags, and tiger stuffed animals (the district mascot).

The students look for ideas for new products on Pinterest and Facebook; then they make samples to see if people like them, she said. They also send surveys to faculty and staff.

“The most common way people place orders is by emailing our Practically Purple email,” she said. “People see our items on our Facebook page, and we have pop-up booths at our high school football games.”

The money they earn from selling their products goes back into the business and materials needed to create their designs, she said.

The business helps students get real-world experience and learn valuable skills such as customer service, problem-solving, budgeting, design, and advertising.

“It has been helpful by teaching me about teamwork and running a business, and it has introduced me to machines I would like to have for my own personal use,” Leschber said, adding that she’s proud to be part of such a successful program, “And of how proud our school and community is of us.”

Leschber said that she is grateful to have a teacher like Barton, who not only supports students in the class but also supports their extracurricular activities and has helped seniors apply for college and scholarships.

“She has shown us love and taught us life skills that I know we will all take with us when we leave Thrall High School,” she said.

Aside from the business skills, Leschber said she’s learned as part of Practically Purple, she’s also gained some life lessons.

“I have learned that in order to be successful at something, you are going to have to put in extra work and sacrifice some of your time to get things done,” she said.

Photo: At Thrall High School, Practically Purple is a thriving business that allows juniors enrolled in the school’s business practicum course to design, market, and sell a variety of customizable products. The business started as a way for locals to purchase spirit gear, but it evolved from there. The practicum students gain real-world business experience and learn valuable skills. 

Photos courtesy of Thrall ISD.

This article first appeared in the June/July 2026 issue of Texas Lone Star. 

Texas Lone Star Magazine

Enjoy this story? Find other impactful public education stories in Texas Lone Star, TASB's flagship publication. Browse the latest issue and multi-year archive.

Read More