Let’s Build It®

Convening prizewinning teachers to share and produce inventive ideas.

Let’s Build It®

Bringing Together and Inspiring Teachers to Share Inventive Ideas

2021 Prizewinner Staci Sievert talks about the best part of Let’s Build It.®
About Let’s Build It®

Let’s Build It is an annual convening of winners of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence®. The event is designed to produce inventive ideas that could dramatically improve skilled trades education in public schools and communities across the country.

Let’s Build It offers reflection, relationship-building and “hard-fun,” leaving participants feeling recharged and motivated for the year ahead. It is designed to grow the leadership capacity of prizewinning teachers to advance our collective aim to advance excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools.

“I’m more optimistic about the state of skilled trades education. I’m also incredibly encouraged and motivated to solve some of the big problems we’ve been facing. And, thanks to too many small snippets and principles that I furiously jotted into my notebook to name, I feel much more equipped to tackle those problems.”

Adam Bourne, 2018 winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence®, New Orleans, LA

2019 Photos

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2018 Photos

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“This was time well spent with my colleagues who truly love their work and put their heart and soul into their teaching. Not only did we share many successes in our journeys, but it taught me that we all face the same common problem of attracting young talent into our programs.  ‘Lets Build it’ brings these inspiring teachers together to share ideas that are working in their neighborhoods, schools, and states. And I am proud to be part of this work.”

–Ed Hughes, 2017 2nd Place Winner

Reflections From Teachers

From Unfamiliar to Family

Jeff Cesari is a winner of the 2018 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. He teaches power equipment technology at Bucks County Technical High School in Fairfield, PA.

Learning from L.A. to LA

Adam Bourne is a winner of the 2018 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. He teaches carpentry and electrical at the NET Charter High School in New Orleans.

Pilot Projects

Pilot project grants help prize-winning skilled trades teachers test and bring to life new ideas inspired by their experience at Let’s Build It. Through this program, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools seeds original, teacher-led methods to improve skilled trades education beyond an individual classroom.

Featured Project

Bob Kilmer, 2017 Prize Winner and a Construction teacher at Enumclaw High School, wanted to spark a passion for skilled trades among younger students. His pitch? A mobile learning lab to take to local elementary schools. Watch as his high schoolers work with fifth graders to build a tiny house—and develop a love of learning a skill.