Texas District Names New Elementary School for Retired Custodian

A new elementary school in Aubrey, Texas, will carry the name of a woman who has worked for the district for 39 years. The Aubrey Independent School District board of trustees announced on Wednesday that "Elementary School Number Five" will open as Marilyn Hampton Elementary School. Hampton, a custodian, retired this year.

She had no idea. Superintendent Shannon Saylor asked her to roll out a red carpet in front of the speaker's podium during the board meeting, a task much like ones she handled over the years. Looking down, Hampton saw the school's new name on the carpet.

"You're too good. I wasn't expecting this. Thank y'all. I can't speak," she said, then broke down in tears and covered her face with her hands. Board members rushed over to hug her while an image of the school bearing her name was shown.

"She may not have the official title of an educator, but she was in every meaningful sense a teacher and an educator at heart," Saylor said, according to footage the district shared on social media.

More than keeping buildings running

Saylor said Hampton did far more than keep school buildings running. She bought and delivered school supplies and helped students study for tests. "She is truly Aubrey ISD," Saylor told WTOC, adding that she left a legacy of kindness, hard work and perseverance.

Hampton is one of eight siblings and the only one in her family to graduate from high school. She recalled that she once felt like a failure because she never went to college, but came to see her path differently. "I just thought, 'You know, Marilyn? God put you where you are supposed to be.' And I'm very happy with the way things turned out," she said.

On Friday she told WTOC the recognition had left her overwhelmed. "I still can't believe it. I haven't stopped crying. My heart is full," she said.

The school is scheduled to open next August. The district gave Hampton a T-shirt with the new school's name on it to mark the announcement. She now spends time at the district's Early Bird Learning Center, where she sits in a rocking chair and feeds a young girl named Claire.

Source: New York Post