Yesterday morning Hoopa Valley High School learned that it had been named one of just 114 schools nationwide to win a “ConnectED” grant from Apple that will supply every student with an iPad, every teacher and administrator with an iPad mini and a MacBook, and every classroom with an Apple TV. Plus, the school will be assigned an “Apple Education team” to help integrate the technology with the curriculum.

The grant, which stems from President Barack Obama’s 2013 ConnectED initiative, is aimed at addressing the disparity between poor, minority-filled schools and the rest of the country when it comes to access to technology and education.

On its website Apple explains, “We’ve chosen to provide our support to schools where at least 96 percent of the students are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program.” And 92 percent of of students in the program’s partner schools are of Hispanic, Black, Native American, Alaskan Native, or Asian heritage, the website says.

Hoopa Valley High School Principal Matt Levesque said the grant will hopefully allow students to take advantage of a wireless internet connection while taking the bus to and from school. Some students, he said, have daily bus rides of an hour and a half each way. 

“The only problem is that [the contract is through] AT&T, which doesn’t have great service out here,” Levesque said. But he’s confident that the gadgets will provide good opportunities in the classrooms. “It will be cool,” he said.

Here’s a press release from Hoopa Valley High School:

Hoopa Valley High School is pleased to announce that it has been selected to receive an Apple grant as part of the ConnectED program. The award will enable Hoopa Valley High School to provide a comprehensive 1:1 technology solution for every student and teacher, including Apple hardware, software, and services.

By providing students, teachers, and administrators with Apple technology, Hoopa Valley High School will be able to enrich its classroom experience and expand opportunities for its students.

According to Matt Levesque, principal of Hoopa Valley High School, “This grant will have a tremendous impact on our students and our greater community. Rather than just send a bunch of hardware, this is a total-school solution tailored to the needs of our school and our students. It will also allow us to open up our network, which will benefit the community as well.”

Additional information about Apple and ConnectED is available at www.apple.com/education/connectED.