Coupeville School District impressed the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation so much that it has received a $260,000 grant to keep up the good work.

The charitable windfall was announced Monday by the foundation, which earmarked the money for Coupeville High School and Coupeville Middle School, which it described as “high achievement models.”

The money was given “to accelerate their efforts in improving teaching and learning and enhancing access to technology for all students,” stated a foundation news release.

Phyllis Textor, principal of the two schools, said this was the first large-scale Gates Foundation grant the school district has gone after. She described the long interview process, then understated, “I guess it went well enough.” She credited Dr. Suzanne Bond, superintendent of schools, with being the principal author of the grant application.

Coupeville has enjoyed past success with the Gates Foundation through smaller grants to purchase computers and train teachers. Textor said nine separate grants for $9,000 each were received. “It’s really made a difference in our classrooms,” she said.

High school teacher Barbara Ballard has a dozen Gates-grant computers in her classroom, where substitute teacher Linsley Dix was supervising students on Monday. Each computer had one or two students at it, doing research for an essay assignment. Dix said the computers are an essential part of learning, thanks to their availability. “It’s easier to integrate them when you have access,” she said.

Textor said about $135,000 of the new $260,000 grant will be used to purchase computer equipment. But there’s no hurry. The grant calls for a year of planning, with implementation coming the second year. “Not many grants give you that kind of time,” she said, thankful that the district will have sufficient time to spend the money properly.

Besides new computers, the grant money will help with adjusting the high school schedule. Presently students have a set schedule of six periods a day, but that may change. “We’d like to make it a lot more flexible,” Textor said.

Additionally, the grant money will be used to expand a “personalized learning” program in which each student is assigned an adult advocate. Textor said advocates are found on the district staff as well as in the community. The goal is to have each advocate or mentor representing eight students.

Finally, the money will help with an effort to create learning plans with a rigorous curriculum designed specifically for each student.

Gates Foundation representative Kyle Miller made the site visit to Coupeville and recommended the grant be approved. She clearly liked what she saw in her February visit.

“I had a long talk with the principal and superintendent and they have good, strong leadership,” Miller said on Monday. “They have very good vision of how to improve teaching and learning, and that’s important.”

Miller also noted that Coupeville High School and Middle School have been the focus of improvement for five to six years now. “They’ve done a lot of hard work for a long time, and their test scores show that,” she said. “The staff works together well and sets goals, and there’s a focus on improving academic achievement for all of their students . . . it’s a good place for us to partner.”