In October, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools team members Bob Kilmer and Scott Springer spent five days on the road traveling in Wisconsin and Illinois. The purpose of the road trip was to visit six winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence at their schools. “The school visits were a … Continued
After 19 years as superintendent of Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC), Greg Donovan is retiring at the end of the school year. In our Q&A, Greg shares his insights from his days as a high school student in Phoenix to leading more than 37,000 students from 48 high schools. This month Donovan received the 2022 … Continued
Dear Fellow Skilled Trades Teachers, My name is Jeff Bertke and I teach electrical trades at Upper Valley Career Center in Piqua, OH. In 2021, I was one of the Grand Prize winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence after several years of applying and committing to the process. I … Continued
Dear Fellow Skilled Trades Instructors, My name is Jess Bowlin, and I am the instructor of the Building Construction program at Auburn High School in Auburn, AL. My courses begin with an overview of construction, and progress by focusing on specific phases of a project – foundations, structure, building systems, and finishes. Thanks to winning … Continued
Hello Fellow Educators, I have been an automotive instructor at Freedom High School in Northeast Wisconsin for 15 years. During that time, I have gone through the wringer of building a program, raising funds, failed referendums, and of course the pandemic. Through it all, one constant for me has been that this job is worth … Continued
When Kate Lee was in high school, she was the only girl in an industrial arts class taught by the baseball coach and lucky enough to have a home economics teacher who taught a class on the basics of home planning and design. Years later, after putting her journalism degree to work in the interior … Continued
School pride, individual student support, and a blend of academic curriculum with career focused, project-based learning are just a few things Harbor Freight Tools for Schools team members Scott Springer and Bob Kilmer found on a visit to Gulfport High School. The school is home to three winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools … Continued
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools announced the 18 winners of its $1 million Prize for Teaching Excellence on October 21. Three grand prize winners and their schools will each receive $100,000, and 15 additional winners and their schools will each receive $50,000. At surprise ceremonies at schools and in media coverage, the winning teachers have … Continued
At the end of October, we will celebrate 18 new winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. When we launched Harbor Freight Tools for Schools five years ago, our small team met with a group of advisors to wrestle with the question – how do we shine a spotlight on … Continued
Infrastructure and workforce development have taken center stage in Washington D.C. in the last few months. At the same time, high school students and young adults in Los Angeles have been participating in hands-on training through a new program called Skilled Trades Summers. The program, which has been up and running at six sites across Los … Continued