Harbor Freight Tools for Schools announced last month the winners of its Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, distributing $1 million to educators and schools in 14 states.
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of the Smidt Foundation, founded by the family that started and runs the Calabasas-based retail chain Harbor Freight Tools Inc.
The foundation’s annual competition, now in its fifth year, recognizes skilled trades teachers in high schools across the country. Three grand prize winners will be awarded $100,000 prizes, with $30,000 going to the educator and the remainder to their school. An additional 15 prize winners and their schools will each receive $50,000 – with $35,000 going to the school’s skilled trades program and $15,000 to the teacher.
“High school skilled trades teachers and their programs are an essential part of addressing the skilled trades worker shortage,’’ Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, said in a statement.Â
The program was launched in 2017 by Harbor Freight Chief Executive Eric Smidt.Â
“Among the key things we came to appreciate during the pandemic is the value of hands-on learning and the incredible resilience and commitment of our teachers,’’ Smidt said in a statement. “We are grateful that these outstanding prize winners and thousands of educators like them across the country are developing tomorrow’s skilled workforce.’’
The 2021 prize drew more than 700 applications from 49 states and included three rounds of judging by an independent panel of industry experts. In July, the field was narrowed to 61 finalists. The programs of the 43 finalists who were not named winners will each receive a $1,000 gift card from Harbor Freight.