There are now more than 130 skilled trades teachers across the United States who have won the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. Prizewinners in the News is a roundup of recent news stories featuring prizewinning teachers.

The Welder Teacher Profile: Prizewinner Brent Tuttle

This month The Welder featured a story about Brent Tuttle, a 2020 winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. Brent is a welding teacher at La Mirada High School in La Mirada, CA. Brent tells the story of how he built up his program to create a state-of-the-art facility for his students. He also talks about how much he has learned from being part of a nationwide network of more than 130 prizewinning teachers. “It’s been paid over 10 times, 100 times on that front,” Tuttle said. “Being part of a network of prize-winning teachers throughout the country, I’ve talked to 16, 17 different welding teachers; I get to see what they do. Everyone teaches welding differently.”

Building a successful welding program from the ground up, The Welder, May 15, 2024

Missouri Farmers Care Teacher Profile: Rylyn Small

Rylyn Small, a 2023 grand prize winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, shares his strategies for securing grant money to support his agriculture program at East Prairie High School in Missouri.

“I have a good story to tell in each grant application. I write about our kids because they are worth it and easy to write about. I think about the kids the whole time I write,” Rylyn says. His efforts are proof that a good story can sell an idea every time.

Rylyn Small: Igniting Student Experiences Through Ag Education and FFA, Missouri Farmers Care, May 2, 2024

SkillsUSA Signing Day in Wyoming

This month Guernsey-Sunrise Public High school in Wyoming hosted a SkillsUSA Signing Day ceremony for 15 students who are pursuing careers in the skilled trades. Their teacher is Troy Reichert, a 2019 winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.

Of this year’s graduating seniors:

• Five will go to Casper College to purse training in welding, pharmacy, occupational therapy, x-ray technology, and nursing
• Four will enter the workforce in the fields of construction and electrical mechanics
• Two will go to Eastern Wyoming College to pursue vet tech training
• Two will go to Laramie County Community College for diesel mechanics, welding, and crime scene investigation training
• One will pursue electrical work through the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee
• One will apprentice with Hensel Phelps Construction

Skills USA holds senior signing day, The Guernsey Gazette, May 14, 2024