Five McClintock students named 2020 City of Tempe Changemakers

The City of Tempe’s annual YouthFest Changemakers celebrates students who are committed to a cause, dedicating themselves to make the world a better place. Whether it’s on their school campus or in our community, when they see a problem, they take meaningful action to create positive change.

These are our 2020 McClintock High School Changemakers and their nominations:

Francisco Arroyo – Francisco’s greatest attribute is his ability to lead and inspire others; he leads by example, never asking others to do something he is not willing to do himself. As the Pep Rally Director this year he has energized the pep rallies with his exuberant personality and charismatic way. As a member of the swim team, he has been selected twice for the Charger Award. Francisco is also instrumental on his volleyball team. He pumps up his teammates when they are feeling defeated and encourages them to continue to strive for a victory. Francisco is a natural leader, and yet most humble about his attributes and abilities.

Zachary Axtell – Zachary has been volunteering for POP (Prostate On-Site Project) for the past four years. He puts in long hours helping to set up and tear down events to raise money for this non-profit charity who provides free or reduced prostate screenings for men. Zachary spends numerous hours on the weekend helping to load, unload and reload the 5th wheel to get everything needed for these fundraising events. He is always willing to help and never complains about the back-breaking hard work. Zachary also volunteers for many school activities for the past four years, including our bonfire every year, our PPA social events where he sets up events, cooks food for all the students, serves ice cream, etc.

Sean Guiney – Sean has dedicated himself to supporting the Prostate On-Site Project, a prostate cancer awareness/prevention organization, and by volunteering to organize and clean up from a variety of Peggy Payne Academy social events. Sean has spent countless hours setting up, breaking down, and cleaning up for all of the events. From his freshman year on, Sean has taken ownership of making this event work seamlessly and efficiently. He has applied this sense of ownership to the Jerry Colangelo All-Star Sports Classic Golf Tournament for POP and to each social event that we host for our school’s gifted academy, the Peggy Payne Academy.

Mayari Merchant – Mayari has influenced others to get involved in academics, leadership and service. In class, she works well with her classmates and is appreciated by her peers. Mayari’s student council class had low participation her Sophomore and Junior year. Mayari and another student took the initiative to go around school and meet and invite students to become members, and officers in student council as seniors. She dedicated her past summer to working as an intern for a medical clinic out of state. In addition, she has helped our school raise and donate over two-thousand dollars for the past two years to Make-A-Wish, carrying around donation buckets and selling wish stars. Mayari has been known to offer both academic and moral support, enabling her peers to become stronger and more confident people. The combination of Mayari’s thoughtfulness and spirit with her high academic drive is a strength that will only help her to become better at her educational and occupational goals.

Axel Guadalupe Becerra Hernandez – Axel excels in his classes while participating in many extracurricular activities. He has been cast in the musical in two roles and was selected as a student choreographer. He serves as a peer tutor for beginning dance and created an after school program for students to participate in intervention or enrichment activities for dance. He has created a culture that provides a safe space for students of all ages and genders, mentors freshman and sophomores while encouraging hard work and dedication to their school work. He has extensively choreographed for the McClintock Dance Concerts, served on the tech crew for three years and was a backstage “Dance Dad”. His choreography was selected to represent McClintock High School in the Annual TUHSD Dance Showcase held at Mt. Pointe High School in January. He gives all of his time to assist students in the dance program, even when he has many family obligations. He has made huge sacrifices to excel at his craft and should be honored and acknowledged!