With a proven record in leading her campus to academic success, Principal Lauren Mailhiot of DeAnda Elementary school is the Elementary Excellence in Leadership recipient for January. During her tenure, she has led DeAnda to receive high honors from TEA, including all six distinctions in three consecutive years for outstanding academic performance and student progress. Additionally, she also led her campus to receive the “#1 Gold Ribbon” ranking in the Houston region from Children at Risk. Mailhiot is relentless in seeking methods to improve instruction and has led DeAnda to become an International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate campus this past year as well as an “A”-rated campus under the TEA accountability system for two consecutive years.