Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence Winners Announced!
On October 4, 20 high school skilled trades teachers in 15 states were named winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. In all, $1.25 million in cash prizes will be awarded to the teachers and their programs.
Powered by Skild, the annual Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, now in its sixth year, was created to recognize excellence among high school skilled trades teachers, a group of educators that is frequently overlooked and underappreciated. Since 2017, the program has awarded more than $6 million to upwards of 100 US public high school teachers and their schools — supporting tens of thousands of students along the way. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools’ mission is to increase understanding of, support for, and investment in skilled trades education in US public high schools.
“We cannot overstate the impact that high school skilled trades teachers are having in the classroom. Hands-on skilled trades classes are making a comeback, and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the accomplishments of these remarkable teachers and their programs,’’ says Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools.
The winning teachers come from a variety of skilled trades career pathways, including automotive, construction, carpentry, industrial technology, welding, agricultural mechanics, and machining.
The five grand-prize winners and their schools will each receive $100,000 — with $70,000 going to the high school skilled trades program and $30,000 to the teacher. An additional 15 prize winners and their schools will each receive $50,000 — with $35,000 going to the high school skilled trades program and $15,000 to the teacher.
The 2022 prize drew a record 768 applications from all 50 states. The field was then narrowed to 50 finalists. The high school skilled trades programs of the 30 finalists who were not named winners will each receive a $1,000 gift card from Harbor Freight Tools.
Click here for a complete list of winners. For more information about this amazing challenge, visit: harborfreighttoolsforschools.org.
