The South Williamsport Area School Board was presented with a donation toward the district’s Central Elementary playground project at its monthly meeting Monday night.

The donation was made by the family of student of the month, Oliver Pulsinski, a first-grader in Kara Druckenmiller’s IU class.

After reaching out to Superintendent Dr. Eric Briggs, inquiring how they could help support the district, Oliver’s family was informed of the district’s ongoing playground project, including efforts to secure an accessible swing., and she was immediately on board, Briggs said.

At a previous meeting, the board approved the purchase of $123,893 worth of items for the Central Elementary playground project, with $70,000 of that cost covered by PTO donations.

“Oliver is my husband, Dave’s youngest son. He means the world to us, and BLaST Intermediate Unit has been an integral part of our life since he was three,” Erin Plocinski said at the meeting.

“He went through early intervention with the intermediate unit, was at their preschool on Reach Road, and then transitioned to the autistic support classroom here at South Williamsport when he started kindergarten,” she explained.

“I just want to thank you for having BLaST as a partner. It means a lot to our family, and we wanted to give something back,” Erin said, before presenting matching donations of $2,000 from herself and mother-in-law, Vicki Plocinski.

Though the family is not seeking recognition, Briggs hopes to purchase a nameplate bearing Oliver’s name to be affixed to the swing.

Prior to the start of business, Briggs thanked the board in recognition of School Board Appreciation Month.

“From the bottom of my heart, I just want to thank you for your continued support of me and the administration, and it’s because of us being able to work together that we’ve been able to accomplish and tackle a lot in the four years I’ve been here,” he said.