Veteran educator appointed Northside principal

Palestine Independent School District has appointed Traci Pridgen, 46, principal of Northside Primary.

After 15 years with Palestine schools, Pridgen is taking on new responsibilities as principal of Northside’s 520 students in Kindergarten and first grade, a vital time for social and emotional development. Aside from working with the school’s 35 teachers, Pridgen will serve as liaison for the school district, communicating with hundreds of parents.

Pridgen told the Herald-Press she and other PISD leaders seek new ways to teach young students and connect with their families amid school closures, which are continuing into summer school. Ensuring families have necessary materials to assist student learning is a priority as Northside’s young students take summer school classes online.

Pridgen previously worked in a number of roles in PISD. She joined the district in 2005 as a first-grade teacher at Northside, then taught reading intervention at Southside Elementary. Later, she coordinated the TACE program at Palestine Junior High and served as assistant principal. 

Most recently, Pridgen served as assistant principal under Barbara Dutton at Northside during the 2019-2020 school year.

“[Pridgen] has served in our district for many years in a variety of roles and understands the needs of our students, parents, and staff,” said Superintendent Jason Marshall.

Pridgen told the Herald-Press she wants to continue the legacy of Principal Barbara Dutton, who retired in May after 29 years as principal at Northside.

Pridgen said she admires Dutton’s leadership. “She has a heart for kids and for this community,” she said.

The new principal described herself as “a first-grade teacher at heart,” because she’s had the most experience teaching the young students in one of their earliest school years. Most of her teaching appointments before joining Palestine ISD — at schools in Bryan, Corpus Christi, and Indiana — were in first-grade classrooms.

Pridgen graduated Texas A&M University in College Station with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and completed a master’s degree in educational leadership at Lamar University in Beaumont.

“[Palestine schools] definitely put kids first,” Pridgen said. “They try to be forward-thinking and innovative in doing their best for PISD students.”