Dan Parson Named Northside Primary School’s Principal

The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted Thursday night to officially hire Dan Parson as Northside Primary School’s Principal at a salary of $88,000.

All board members voted yes with Directors Jennifer Tomon and Kathleen McCommons absent from the vote.

Parson was named interim principal during an August 4, 2020 special meeting of the board, where directors accepted the early retirement of then principal Christine Gibbons.

Before his official appointment, Parson discussed some of the initiatives, activities, and plans for Northside.

He said plans are being made to transition the school’s library into a Student Learning Center.

“We will still have books,” he said.

Also in the works for Parson and his team is a new style Kindergarten orientation which upon approval would include parents attending the first day of school alongside their child.

Parson said the plan is still under construction, but he believes that it will help curb Kindergarten anxiety for both the student and the parents.

He also summed up the school year at Northside while facing challenges during a pandemic. He said he is proud of the students, the teachers, and the parents for their efforts in making education a top priority.

“We not only made it,” he said. “We thrived. I am proud of that.”

The board also appointed Tara Larkin as a speech and language teacher; Savannah Stanley as an emotional support teacher; and tenured Preslee Riccio, Christine Shearer, Logan Bing, and Gabriella Magnani.