Retired Texas Custodian Unrolls a Red Carpet, Finds a School Named for Her

Aubrey Independent School District in Texas announced on Oct. 21 that its newest elementary school will be named Marilyn Hampton Elementary School. Hampton is a retired custodian who worked for the district for 39 years and still cares for its babies and toddlers. The school is under construction and expected to open in August 2027.¹⁵

The news came as a surprise during a red-carpet presentation at a district board meeting.³⁶ Hampton was asked to unroll a small red carpet, the kind of setup job she might have done in her custodial years. It took her several seconds to realize the carpet had the school’s name on it.¹⁶

So the district gave her one more task, and the task turned out to be about her.

“My goodness what an honor.”

That was Hampton’s reaction, as reported by WFAA.¹

Until that night, the building had been known only as Elementary School #5. It is going up on FM 2931.¹⁵ The new name is a big improvement, and it also fits on a T-shirt. The district handed Hampton a Marilyn Hampton Elementary shirt to prove it.¹³

Related: She Unrolled a Red Carpet at a Board Meeting. The School’s Name Was Hers.

39 years, and still on the job

Hampton, 76, started with Aubrey ISD on April 18, 1983, and retired as a custodian in 2022.³⁵ Retirement did not take her far. She still works for the district, caring for infants and toddlers at the Aubrey ISD Early Bird Learning Center.¹³

Superintendent Dr. Shannon Saylor described Hampton as a role model and mentor for both students and staff. She pointed to the kindness, hard work and perseverance Hampton has taught by example.¹³

“She is truly Aubrey ISD,” Saylor said, according to WFAA.¹

Upworthy’s retelling of WFAA’s report adds more about how far Hampton’s work went past her job description. By that account, she bought school supplies for kids, helped students study for tests and worked the football ticket booth.³

Upworthy also reports that Hampton was one of eight children and the only one to graduate from high school, and that she once thought of herself as a failure.³

“Whoever thought a janitor would have a school named after them,” Hampton said, in a report distributed by CBS Newspath.⁴

What happens next

The school is still being built, and the district expects it to open next August.⁵⁶ The story has traveled well beyond Aubrey since the announcement. In November, CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil ran a short segment honoring Hampton as a custodian who went above and beyond.²

When the doors open, the first students will walk into a building named for a woman the superintendent calls a mentor. Meanwhile, she is still at work looking after the district’s youngest children.¹