Thanks to some hefty awards from the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation, classrooms across the district are getting a technology upgrade. The organization on Monday announced 31 tech-heavy grants amounting to more than $275,000 at its annual grant awards ceremony at the Mamaroneck High School.

SMART boards and accompanying software were among the most popular grant items, including the largest grant—at $60,000—to install the boards in all 12 Hommocks science classrooms. This grant means that every secondary classroom in the district is equipped with a SMART board, which allows for an integrated curriculum approach.

Miguel Nunes, chair of the Mamaroneck High School Science Department, showed attendees of Monday’s grant awards ceremony the curriculum developments made by faculty thanks to the capabilities of the systems purchased with funds from last year’s foundation grants.

He showed off an interactive chart of the human digestive system, with drag-and-drop labeling to instantly test student recognition. The Physics Jeopardy game board he created shows off the traditional Jeopardy game board, asks questions when a clue is selected, and even plays music to signal remaining time. Many of these activities are templates that can be shared among teachers and tailored for a particular curriculum.

Other technology improvements include state-of-the-art physics lab equipment, workstations and other improvements for the Original Science Research program, multiple sound amplification systems and document projectors. Fifteen new iPod Touch units will be purchased for the Hommocks Podcasting Studio, which outfits an entire class with devices that connect wirelessly to the Internet and provide lesson enhancements with videos, images and audio clips.

MHS video teacher Emily Dobroff played a video she had created showing the before-and-after grant award condition of her production studio, where she now has enough working computers and software upgrades to accommodate her students and their individual editing projects thanks to last year’s grant for new iMac desktop computers.

In addition to new technology, the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation grants funded projects in art and music, literacy and enrichment and community outreach.

The Mamaroneck Photography program received more than $27,000 to update curriculum and accommodate the increasing emphasis on digital applications. In addition to a new camera, printer, scanner and computers, the grant also funds 16 additional easels and timers and a print dryer for the darkroom.

A $3,000 grant funds Traveling Trunks for third- and fourth-graders at Mamaroneck Avenue School. The program creates curriculum-related trunks full of artifacts and hands-on activities that encourage students to speculate, think critically and synthesize information from multiple sources.

As a part of the new all-weather Memorial Field project at MHS, an almost-$26,000 grant will fund the new Tiger Pride Communications System. The modern scoreboard and sound system will replace the 40-year-old equipment currently at the site.

The smallest grant of the 31 handed out on Monday may have the most impact. The foundation is providing $250 to purchase GPS systems for the SafeRides program, a student-run volunteer program that offers free rides to students every Friday and Saturday night between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. The GPS devices are intended to help the 200 students and 50 parents who volunteer with the program meet their destinations quickly, accurately and safely.