While attending a meeting at the Boerne ISD central office on Monday, Fabra Elementary School Principal Troy Latiolais received a call to report back to campus — a water pipe busted in the gymnasium, requiring his immediate attention.
Minutes later, upon opening the gym door, Latiolais was shocked to find the gym not ankle-deep in water, but full of cheering students, faculty members, Boerne ISD board of trustees and his family.
With a bewildered but excited look on his face, Latiolais made his way to a backdrop, where he was informed he had been chosen as a principal finalist in the 2025 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards.
Whitney White, with H-E-B public affairs, presents a $1,000 check Monday to Fabra Elementary Principal Troy Latiolais on behalf of the H-E-B Excellence In Education Awards, as Boerne ISD Superintendent Dr. Kristin Craft (right) applauds the announcement.
Star photo by Jeff B. Flinn Latiolais, Fabra principal since May 2019, received an oversized check for $1,000 from H-E-B representatives, matched by a $2,500 check to the school in his name.
He now competes with four other principals in the state for the title of top principal, an award that would put $10,000 more in his pocket and land a $25,000 grant in Fabra’s lap.
“I tell my teachers that every kid is just one caring adult away from being a success story,” Latiolais said following the exuberant award ceremony.
“I hope that every student knows that they have at least one person that truly cares for him and champions for him, and I want to be that for every kid,” he said.
Latiolais, who served as assistant principal for two years before taking the lead role, credits his staff for the school’s continued success.
“Our teachers do an incredible job of making kids feel seen, and safe, and just happy to be at school,” he said, “and that’s the most important part of the job.”
Sitting on the school’s roof in an Elf On The Shelf costume also is part of the job, evidently.
Fabra fourth grader Maddie Merkins told the H-E-B interview team about the day her mother pulled up in the school drop-off lane, and there on the roof was Mr. Latiolais, wearing the well-known red outfit and pointy hat of the Elf on A Shelf character.
“It was ‘Elf Day’ on campus,” the principal recalls. “It was a few minutes before arrival and the secretaries were like, ‘You should put this (costume) on .... and go sit on the marquee.’ I said, ‘If we’re going to do this, let’s do this right. I’m just going to go up on the roof. I’m going to be just like Elf On A Shelf, you know?”
Upon arriving home from work that day, his middle school daughter Emma said, “Dad, you’re going viral, all the kids were talking about it.’” Like most individuals deserving of an award, Latiolais is quick to give credit to those he works with, for making his job that much easier.
“Our teachers are phenomenal. I would say the biggest thing about our teachers is that they model. I try to empower staff simply by trying to support them and be there for them in whatever they need,” he said.
Fabra is the oldest elementary in Boerne ISD, while the physical building is only 9 years old.
“We have the best of both worlds,” he said. “We have all the history and culture and tradition, but we still have a fancy new building to get to do it in.”
So it stands to reason why Latiolais was a bit confused when told of the water leak in the gym he so desperately need to address.
They got me good,” he laughed.
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