ALBANY, N.Y. — Three upstate school districts were awarded in the state's capital city on Wednesday, for having exemplary education programs in the STEM fields.

Bloomfield Central School District, Marlboro Central School District and the North Syracuse Central School District were all awarded a $5,000 grant from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, to be spent toward expanding their successful science, technology, engineering and math programs.

Marlboro uses a "S.T.E.A.M." approach, also incorporating the arts into its specialized curriculum.

The grant program results from a partnership between the New York State School Boards Association and SUNY Polytechnic, awarding districts each year for innovative programs that build student confidence. Judges noted that each of the three winning programs this year could be easily adapted into other school districts around the state.

The three winning districts were chosen from a field of 50 award nominees, the most to ever enter the 6-year-old contest.