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Devoted custodian receives touching tribute as school names building after her in Missouri

A dedicated custodian is honored by a Missouri school after decades of service, touching hearts and inspiring others with her selflessness and commitment.

Devoted custodian receives touching tribute as school names building after her in Missouri
Missouri school honors longtime custodian with building dedication, leaving community in awe. (Cover Image Source: Facebook | Swedeborg R-III)

Teachers undoubtedly play a pivotal part in making schools truly the hub of education. However, we often tend to ignore the role of support staff, especially custodians, in running the institutions smoothly. The custodian, Claudene Wilson, hailing from Missouri, recently made headlines for being recognized by the Swedeborg District III Elementary School for her over thirty years of devoted service at K-8 school. Wilson, who was recently featured on CBS Evening News, will be honored by the district administration by naming one of the school's buildings after her.

Senior male custodian mopping in empty classroom between chairs and desks with his female Afro American colleague. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Constantinis)
Senior male custodian mopping in empty classroom between chairs and desks with his female Afro American colleague. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Constantinis)

Everyone in the school—from teachers, principals, and staff to students—agreed that they would want the school building to be named after someone “special.” As per the educators, honoring Wilson would boost the morale of often overlooked custodians who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Notably, the 64-year-old woman is known to be very kind to kids while at the same time managing everyday school activities perfectly.



 

Moreover, through her long-standing career as a janitor, Wilson had worn multiple hats. The outlet reported that she did not confine herself to cleaning and repairing roles. Instead, the custodian happily welcomed the students on several occasions by driving the bus to their places. Apart from working on landscaping, the multitasker often serves on lunch duty. Although she is the type of motivation children need, the administration's officials praised her as the kind of employee school systems aspire to have.

Missouri school honors longtime custodian with building dedication, leaving community in awe. (Image Source: Facebook | Swedeborg R-III)
Missouri school honors longtime custodian with building dedication, leaving community in awe. (Image Source: Facebook | Swedeborg R-III)

The outlet reached out to some of the students, who couldn’t stop themselves from praising Wilson. Among them, Nate Lein said, "It has to be someone that you just know would be right." Adding to it, Eli Huff remarked, "She's just really dedicated herself to this school." "You can get her like, a vacuum, and she'll appreciate it because she really likes cleaning," hailed student Gunner Jennings. Meanwhile, Wilson hardly was able to recall how this long time passed when she was asked about her experience. "And the next thing I know, I was leaving at six in the morning and getting home about 7:30 at night," the custodian said. When she was further asked about her motivation behind showing up every day with the same energy, Wilson gave a heartfelt answer. "Kids, the kids are at your heart," she said. The decision to name a building the “Claudene Wilson Learning Center” was unanimously taken by the Swedeborg School Board in August earlier this year.

Missouri school honors longtime custodian with building dedication, leaving community in awe. (Image Source: Facebook | Swedeborg R-III)
Missouri school honors longtime custodian with building dedication, leaving community in awe. (Image Source: Facebook | Swedeborg R-III)

"That's what makes Claudene what she is," Swedeborg School Board President Chuck Boren remarked, adding, "Whenever the school kids get sick, do you think they go to the nurse to start with? They go to her.” Even if any of the students had a rough night, as per the administrator, they would go to her to seek motivation. “And she's there for each and every one of them,” Boren elaborated. Despite all the compliments, Wilson chose to remain grounded and humble when she was asked about the honor bestowed upon her. "It touches your heart, but I don't think my name needs to be up on a building somewhere," the selfless custodian underlined. It is indeed quite a rare sight that a school recognizes its staff in such a wholesome and unique way. 

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