Daviaughn Reagan is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Marcos de Niza HS for AZPreps365.com

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Marcos de Niza has served many Tempe residents and those who travel to the school from nearby cities.

Marcos de Niza not only has been a high school to the community, it has been a service to the generations of teenagers who’ve walked the campus hallways, leaving them with lifelong memories while also preparing them for life after graduation.

One former student who can attest to this is 2016 graduate Cameron Stark.

“My dad, David Stark, has been teaching and coaching at Marcos de Niza high school for 23 years,” the former Marcos de Niza Padre said. “Having grown up around the school, my siblings and I basically bleed brown and gold.”

Diversity is entrenched in the Padre DNA. Students from different walks of life roam the halls and think nothing of it, united in enhancing the Padre experience.

“It’s like one big melting pot,” said Trysten Griffith, a 2016 graduate. “I never noticed how diverse the campus was until I saw a picture of the student section during the Corona football game.”

Per the most recent figures posted on USNews.com, Hispanic students account for 49 percent of Marcos de Niza's enrollment.

The school is rounded off with Caucasians, African Americans and American Indians/Alaskan Natives accounting for 45 precent of the student enrollment. Minorities at the school account for 77 percent.

The school’s location near Guadalupe and Rural roads allows it to serve many different ethnicities. Phoenix, Guadalupe, Chandler and Scottsdale are in close proximity to the campus.

That allows students to come from different areas, like Stark, who’s from Chandler. Stark and his siblings, Connor and Natalie, as well as cousin Mason, all graduated from Marcos de Niza and strive to make their families and alma mater proud.

“To be a part of a community that wants the best for each other and a faculty that genuinely cares for their students is something special,” Stark said.

The Padre community also is home to the Pascua Yaqui Indian Tribe, which helps in accounting for 11 percent of the school's enrollment.

Joe Valenzuela was a resident on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Tribe who attended Marcos de Niza. The school has served three generations of  Valenzuelas.

“My mom and dad, plus all my aunts and uncles on both sides attended Marcos,” Valenzuela said. “It’s the high school of my family. I just wanted to keep it going and do my part of keeping the connection to the community.”

The high school's 50th anniversary shows the value of historical tradition and student service.

“I will always cherish my time at Marcos," Griffith said. "The faculty taught me so much more, other than high school curriculum, and for that I am grateful to be a part of the Padre community. Once a Padre, always a Padre.”