BEVERLY — Briscoe Middle School will get its first science laboratory, Smart Boards and 30 laptop computers, thanks to three anonymous donations.
The lab will be equipped with tables and chairs, new microscopes, triple beam balances, electric hot plates, and all the makings of a middle school lab that $50,000 can buy.
Another donation, for $80,000, will pay to install Smart Boards — a sort of high-tech version of the traditional chalkboard — in all the math and science classrooms, and one $60,000 gift will buy 30 laptop computers for the reading and foreign language departments.
"I've been very blessed to have these individuals step up," Principal Matt Poska said. "It really goes to show you there are some great people out there to support education."
Across from the gym, construction workers have been renovating a room used for storage for shop class into the new science lab. While students will be able to use it before the end of the school year, the Smart Boards and laptops will come over the summer, during which time teachers will also be trained on how to use the equipment.
Smart Boards are interactive whiteboards that hook up to a computer and allow teachers to project what they're doing on the computer screen to the board in front of the class.
Only three math classes previously had the technology, and now it will be available in all 18 math and science classes.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for us to expand on our science curriculum," Poska said.
The laptops come in two carts with 15 in a cart, and students will use them for activities like listening to a foreign-language speaker online and interacting with other students.
"It might mean some students have to double up on some laptops, but you can bring the technology right into the classroom," Poska said. "In our current financial state, these are certainly unique opportunities for our school."
