Rachel Clayton, cafeteria manager at Fairmont School in Lockport, doesn’t consider herself heroic.

“I don’t look at myself like that,” Clayton said. “I just do the things. But it’s good to be appreciated.”

Elisabeth Patton, the school’s principal, thinks otherwise. Patton said Clayton’s “dedication and strong work ethic are evident in everything she does.“

This includes Clayton’s involvement with school programs such as the Family and Community Engagement committee and the Bridges and Junior Bridges programs, as well as Payton’s “creativity in decorating school events,” Patton said.

“In addition, her role as a cheer and dance coach for assemblies highlights her enthusiasm for fostering school spirit,” Patton said. “She is a truly committed and hardworking individual who goes above and beyond to enrich the school environment.”

Clayton said the school recently held Diversity Day, where the students in the Junior Bridges program dressed in culturally appropriate clothing and served as living statues.

She also currently oversees the F.A.C.E. committee, in which Clayton has participated all four years.

That committee helps connect staff and parents, Clayton said. Past activities included assembling a picture slide show, a family ball and a family game night, she said.

Clayton said she’s also a listening ear for the students, especially the girls.

“A lot of them have rough lives,” Clayton said. “I just help them get through the day-to-day things.”

Clayton said she’s also part of the school’s community garden, which partners with the We WILL Grow School and Community Garden Program.

“I just love to give back to the Fairmont community; it’s really special,” Clayton said.

The Fairmont community feels the same about Clayton.

“Rachel Clayton consistently demonstrates exceptional effort and ambition in supporting her school community,” Patton said. “Through her involvement in numerous school initiatives, Mrs. Clayton brings valuable insight and a collaborative spirit, working closely with both students and administrators to create meaningful and memorable experiences.”

Fairmont School District 89 Superintendent Tamela Daniels said Clayton’s level of commitment to students “is unmatched.”

Students who won’t open up to anyone else will open up to her, Daniels said.

“I really haven’t seen anything like it in my time around here,” she said. “She’s always thinking about how she can help the next person. She could make a butterfly talk ... she can look in her cafeteria, see which kids look down and aren’t talking to other people, and then go out of her way to connect with them.”

Clayton, who grew up in Virginia, said all four of her sons attended Fairmont, as did her husband Stephen Clayton and his late mother, Vera Clayton. Stephen Clayton’s father, Steve Saunders, taught physical education at Fairmont for many years, she said.

But that’s not the only reason why Fairmont is special to her.

“The love that you get from here is rewarding,” Clayton said. “I never wake up in the morning thinking, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go to work.’”

But if the school is calling Clayton a hero, she said some of that praise should also go to Tamela Daniels, former principal of Fairmont School and the current superintendent of District 89 in Lockport.

“If it wasn’t for Dr. Tamela Daniels, I would not even be here,” Clayton said. “She encouraged me when I didn’t think I could do things. She pushed me. She believed in me before I believed in myself. So, I give huge thanks to her.”