Education

Aubrey School District Names New Elementary School After Long‑Serving Custodian Marilyn Hampton

By TOI World Desk

Marilyn Hampton, a 76‑year‑old former custodian of the Aubrey Independent School District, will have a new elementary school named in her honor. On October 21, district officials announced the decision, recognizing her 39 years of service and her many ways of supporting students and staff.

Hampton grew up in a family of eight children and was the only one to finish high school, but she never attended college. She began working for the district in the 1980s and retired in 2022. While her official duties involved cleaning classrooms and other facilities, she also helped students with assignments, supplied school materials to those in need, gave rides, and worked at ticket booths during football games.

The announcement came during a board of trustees meeting. Superintendent Shannon Saylor asked Hampton to unroll a red carpet near the podium; the carpet bore the words “Marilyn Hampton Elementary School.” Hampton was visibly moved, saying, “You are too good. I wasn’t expecting this. Thank you all. I can’t speak.” Board members hugged her, and she was shown a picture of the new building.

Saylor noted that Hampton had made an important contribution to students even though she was not a teacher. “She may not have the official title of an educator, but she was in every meaningful sense a teacher and an educator at heart,” she said.

Hampton, who has since retired, continues to spend time with children at the district’s Early Bird Learning Centre. She described the honor as a validation of her life’s work, saying she had once doubted her path because she had not gone to college.

The new school, previously known as Elementary School Number Five, is slated to open in August 2027.