A New Mexico principal was honored by the United States Department of Education for her role in transforming Mesquite Elementary School into a high-performing school and helping close the achievement gap in that community. Angela Silvaggio was one of eight teachers in the country to win the Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership. Mesquite Elementary School is a Title 1 school in the Gadsden Independent School District south of Las Cruces, where the median income is less than $21,000. The dominant language in this community is Spanish and 66% of the students at Mesquite are identified as English Language Learners. Silvaggio is in her eighth year as principal at Mesquite but has worked in education for 40 years. She said this work is not just a career choice, but a calling. During her time at Mesquite, Silvaggio has implemented weekly intensive tutoring block days within the classroom. “The school developed an action plan that included using data to group students according to their needs. This gives teachers opportunities to target students, whether they are struggling learners or high achievers,” a release from the US Department of Education read.Silvaggio said she treats her students the way she’d want her own children to be treated at school and works to surround herself with an administration team that shares her vision.