Daniel Kilpeck attended St. Bernard’s School from 1946 to 1953, spending first grade through eighth grade at the building on River Street.

He enjoyed his time there and reconnected with the school a few years ago from his home in Minnesota. School Principal Andrea Kilbourne-Hill said he kept in touch in recent years.

When Kilpeck passed away in November, he left the school his IRA.

“It was way more substantial than I thought it was going to be,” Kilbourne-Hill said.

Amelia Schmidt leaps down an snowy hill during recess at St. Bernard’s School on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

The donation came to $1.3 million.

“It’s really a life-changing gift for our school,” Kilbourne-Hill said.

She said Kilpeck told her his family was poor. Scholarship and tuition assistance allowed him to attend St. Bernard’s. She said current parishioners of the church remember him from their school days. After graduating from high school, he joined the Air Force during the Vietnam War, then graduated from Paul Smith’s College and worked for the Department of Agriculture.

Kilbourne-Hill said Kilpeck wasn’t a rich CEO or anything like that. He just always had the church and the kids in his heart.

“This remarkable gift speaks to the enduring impact St. Bernard’s School has on the lives of its students,” Kilbourne-Hill said in a statement. “Mr. Kilpeck shared how meaningful his own experience at St. Bernard’s was and how that foundation shaped him throughout his life.”

Finn Fitzgerald slides down a hill during recess at St. Bernard’s School on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

She said this donation sets them up for immediate work. The school plans to replace a broken boiler, update plumbing systems and renovate the main office entranceway.

“These improvements will begin immediately,” she said in a statement.

She said Kilpeck also wanted students to reap the benefits of his gift. As an adult, he loved hearing playground noise.

The school is planning playground upgrades, which will be named in his honor.

“He was passionate about ensuring students could see and feel the impact of his generosity. Because of that, we are intentionally investing in what our students cherish most — their teachers and their time at recess,” Kilbourne-Hill said in a statement.

Dove Dougherty uses her brother Dax as a sled on a snowy hill during recess at St. Bernard’s School on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

She said the school plans to share preliminary playground improvement plans in the spring.

The school is also turning the gift into a plan for sustainability.

Kilbourne-Hill said they are creating the “1922 Endowment Fund” named for the year the school was founded. She said the school can’t offer teacher salaries as high as what the public schools can, but she’s been trying to increase their pay to stay competitive.

The fund will be professionally managed by the former Long Run Wealth team at Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. and structured to ensure both flexibility and long-term growth, according to a press release. A small portion will be maintained in an income fund to support emergency and immediate needs. The majority will be invested in a growth-focused endowment designed to strengthen the school’s financial sustainability over time.

The school is inviting other alumni, families and community members to contribute to the 1922 Endowment Fund.

Porter Tyler, left, and Nolan Carroll leap down a snowy hill during recess at St. Bernard’s School on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

“This is more than a donation,” St. Bernard’s Education Council President Dane DeGrace said in a statement. “It is an investment in children, in educators and in the future of St. Bernard’s School. We hope this moment inspires our broader alumni community to join us in growing the 1922 Fund.”

To learn how to contribute to the endowment, contact Kilbourne-Hill at 518-891-2830 or visit stbernardsschool.org.

St. Bernard’s School students in third, fourth and fifth grades pose on a snowy hill before sliding down during recess on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Ty Figueroa-Brownell leaps down a snowy hill during recess at St. Bernard’s School on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Dax Dougherty heaves a large snowball onto a fort wall during recess at St. Bernard’s School on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)