NATCHEZ &8212; Best Buy has awarded four Natchez schools emergency response grants totaling $12,000 for their work with Katrina and Rita&8217;s evacuee children.

McLaurin Elementary, Morgantown Elementary, Trinity Episcopal Day School and Cathedral School all applied online for the money.

McLaurin received $1,000; Morgantown got $4,000; Trinity got $2,000 and Cathedral got $5,000.

The maximum award was $5,000. The company&8217;s Web site says the amount of money awarded was determined by the number of evacuee children enrolled, the length of their stay and how the funds would be used to improve learning for the students, among other factors.

The money came in the form of Best Buy gift cards. Cathedral is using the money to improve technology in the school.

Morgantown Principal Fred Marsalis said a final decision hadn&8217;t been made, but the school needs a new Scantron grading machine.

Trinity is buying three Internet-enabled projectors. Head of School Delecia Carey said the equipment would be used mainly in science classrooms and will allow teachers to show everything from virtual dissections to weather patterns to the whole class at once.

&8220;It&8217;s been a goal of ours (to buy the projectors),&8221; she said. &8220;This made it happen more quickly. And the Katrina kids are going to benefit.&8221;

About 1,000 schools affected by the hurricanes received the grants.