Mastery Charter’s Smedley Elementary School, 1790 Bridge St., hosted a ribbon cutting on Oct. 25 to celebrate the addition of new playground equipment.
In all, there is a new basketball court, benches, swings, monkey bars, climbing blocks, hopscotch, parking lot, gate and safety surface.
Purchased in partnership with M&T Bank, the new equipment will add to the existing equipment on the school’s campus. M&T presents financial literacy classes at Smedley and had previously helped fund a play set and a memorial bench for Jamel Parks, a third-grade student who was shot to death in 2022 outside his Wissinoming home.
Vice principal Danielle Nicoletti described M&T officials as “amazing community partners,” and bank vice president Cassandra Bell cut the ribbon on the new piece of equipment her company sponsored.
Tianna Turner spoke on behalf of the parents of the roughly 800 students in kindergarten through sixth grade who attend Smedley.
The event featured a DJ and soft pretzels. ••
