What’s inflatable, full of stars and young children?

Believe it or not it’s a portable planetarium.

The Natchez-Adams School District has received a $100,000 grant to purchase two of them for its elementary schools.

&uot;When I think planetarium I think the one in Jackson or Baton Rouge,&uot; said Linda Grafton, the district’s technology coordinator. &uot;It’s actually an inflatable planetarium.&uot;

The school district just recently learned it was to receive the grant, which is federal money allocated through Goals 2000 from the Mississippi Department of Education

The school district’s community committee discussed the grant during its regular meeting Friday.

The portable planetariums can hold a classroom of students and teachers can use them to teach a variety of subjects related to science.

Because the grants are federal money, three private schools in Adams County – Cathedral School, Holy Family Catholic School and Trinity Episcopal Day School – can also make use of the planetariums.

&uot;We’re not only affecting our students. We’re reaching out to the other students in our area and in our county,&uot; Grafton said.

This grant was one of two the Natchez-Adams School District learned it was going to receive on the same day.

High school students will also benefit from a $185,166.08 grant through the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund.

That program will fund such things as a networking class at Natchez High School and the Classworks Gold curriculum software for ninth to 12-grades.

Since practically everyone sees federal taxes taken out of their paychecks, these grants are good news for local residents, Grafton said.

&uot;These are federal dollars coming back,&uot; Grafton said. &uot;Someone was going to get those dollars and we got $285,000 of them.&uot;