Carl Liana attended the 75th anniversary of Farrington High School on Saturday to return the support he received as the school’s star quarterback more than 20 years ago, when he led the Governors to the state playoffs four years in a row.

"The community and the school had done a lot for me when I was here attending," said Liana, 39, a 1991 graduate who now coaches the school’s quarterbacks. "The faculty here, they’ve been a positive influence for me when I was growing up. I really enjoyed that so I want to do the same as well."

He was among the hundreds who attended an anniversary celebration for the Kalihi school, which opened in September 1936 with fewer than 800 students. Named after territorial Gov. Wallace Rider Farrington, the school originally opened in temporary buildings across the street and moved to its current site in 1940. It has since grown into one of the largest public schools in Hawaii, with more than 2,600 students.

Many of the school’s students come from nearby housing projects, such as Kamehameha Homes, Kalihi Valley Homes and Kuhio Park Terrace, and about 60 percent of the school’s students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

Glenn Matsuwaka, a social studies teacher who’s been teaching at the school for 25 years, said it’s a special place that leaves an impression on its students.

"It’s just a different kind of community, Kalihi and Farrington," he said.

Matsuwaka, who graduated from ‘Iolani School, was selling T-shirts at the celebration to raise money for the school because of budget cuts. He said he loves teaching at Farrington, partly because the students are so respectful. "Most teachers here do," he said. "The kids … they don’t have much, so when you do a small thing for them, they really appreciate it."

At a nearby booth, Farrington junior Kekoa Hussey, 16, sold cookies to raise funds for his culinary academy, one of about 10 focus areas at the school that allow a smaller group of students to study together and get more attention from their teachers.

"We love it, especially the academy that we’re in," said Hussey, who wants to be a chef and open his own restaurant. "We’ve created our own cookbooks and whatnot. This really prepares us for our future."

He said the students in the academy came up with their own recipes and cook weekly at the school as part of their curriculum.

Hannah (Lima) Reyes, 63, attended in support after graduating from Farrington in 1966. She said she still sings the school’s alma mater proudly.

"It’s a celebration of return," said Reyes, whose aunt, four siblings and four children also graduated from Farrington. Two of her grandsons will also graduate from the school.

"This is a family school," Reyes said. "There’s a lot of memories in this school."

For Hedy Luna Harrison-Anduha, 72, the celebration came while she was in town for her 55th class reunion. Harrison-Anduha, of Cerritos, Calif., started the Farrington High School Mainland Alumni Association, which provides scholarships to students every year, because of her strong connection to the school.

She said her education at Farrington was fundamental to her obtaining her master’s degree and working 25 years as a children’s librarian.