Missouri School Board Votes Unanimously To Rename Elementary School Building After Janitor Who’s Worked There For Over 30 Years

Everyone dreams of one day being honored for their lifetime of work. Though being a janitor is often times a thankless job, an elementary school janitor in Missouri is being honored for her dedication to her work. When the Swedeborg school district was looking to name their primary campus building at their elementary school, they could have gone with a number of important, influential Missourians. They instead decided to name it after Claudene Wilson - the janitor of the school that's worked there for over 30 years. The 64-year-old has dedicated herself to the elementary school for over three decades, and has slowly taken on more and more responsibility. What started out as just a janitorial role has evolved into many other job titles, like morning greeter, transportation coordinator and lunch supervisor. She even handles landscaping and facility operation at the Missouri school. But most importantly, she's seen as a trusted mentor in the eyes of the students. Swedeborg School Board President Chuck Boren explained to CBS that Claudene meaning so much to the kids played a big role in her name being unanimously placed on the school's learning center: "That's what makes Claudene what she is. These kids get sick, you think they go to the nurse to start with? They go to her. If they had a bad night, they go to her. And she's there for each and every one of them." When Wilson herself sat down for a brief interview, she revealed that her regular work day starts at six in the morning, and she usually gets home around 7:30 at night. In her mind, it's worth it all for the kids, and she clearly means a lot to the students in Swedeborg - though she's humble enough to say that she doesn't know if she's deserving to have the building named after her: "It touches your heart, but I don't think my name needs to be up on a building somewhere." But when Claudene means so much to the student body - and the community at large - it seems like it was no brainer to name the learning center building after her. After the many years of dedication to her position, Wilson was finally given the recognition she and so many other hard workers deserve : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUwAHPA2SnI