The Aubrey Independent School District has named its newest elementary campus after Marilyn Hampton, a 76-year-old retired custodian who spent 39 years working for the district.
During a school board meeting Wednesday, Hampton was asked to roll out a small red carpet, unaware of what it would reveal: the name Marilyn Hampton Elementary School, chosen for what had been planned simply as Elementary School Number 5.
Hampton received a standing ovation when she realized the honor. “Y’all are the best,” she told the board and attendees, according to WFAA, which first reported the story Friday.
Over nearly four decades with the district, Hampton became known for more than her custodial duties. She regularly bought and delivered school supplies to students, helped them study, and worked to instill values of kindness, hard work and perseverance. She retired in 2022 but has continued working with children, now caring for babies and toddlers at the Aubrey ISD Early Bird Learning Center.
Hampton, who was the only one of her siblings to graduate from high school, said she once doubted how much she had accomplished in life. The honor from the district changed that view.
“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,” Hampton said. “It’s just more than a school to me. It’s people and I love them. They’ve been good to me. And I can’t get over the attention.”
Photos from the meeting showed Hampton standing on the red carpet bearing her name and wearing a T-shirt printed with the school’s new title, surrounded by district officials and supporters.
The announcement drew warm reaction online, with one commenter writing that “Marilyn is getting the recognition she so deserves,” and another calling her “such an amazing soul.”
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