Sampson-Howard Elementary School was approved by voters as part of the Bond 2022 package and opened in August of 2024. Sampson-Howard was the first brand new school to open in Temple ISD since 1998 and serves as a Fine Arts Academy. The school is named for Cornelius Carl Sampson and Durward and Jean Howard.
Sampson was a Temple native and valedictorian of the Temple Negro School in 1915. Sampson would later become principal of Dunbar Junior/Senior High School and also served as an athletic coach, debate coach, and math teacher. He would later become principal of an African-American High School in Corpus Christi and played a significant role in the landmark court case Cisneros vs. Corpus Christi ISD. That case resulted in integration of the school system and expanded civil rights to all minorities.
The Howards were both teachers in Temple ISD. Durward Howard joined the district as band and orchestra director. His bands performed at Dallas Cowboys football games and the Cotton Bowl and he was also instrumental in the formation of the Temple Starlighters Jazz Band. Jean Howard was a long-time civics and social studies teacher at Temple HS. The couple cofounded the THS Humanities class that combined art, music, literature, and drama for THS seniors. The Howards also participated in numerous local civic organizations that worked to make Fine Arts available to the Temple community.
