Tag Archive for: Harbor Freight Tools for Schools

Richard Christianson

WCA EDUcation Instructor Jon Cerio Wins Harbor Freight Teacher Excellence Prize

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Richard Lasso, Superintendent, left; Maija Delaquin Executive Director Innovation and College/Career Readiness; Jon Cerio ACE Academy Instructor; and Jason Smith, Rogers High School Principal celebrate Cerio’s Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Teacher Excellence award.

Cerio is the third Woodwork Career Alliance Educator in four years to be honored in Harbor Freight Tools for Schools annual awards program.

LINCOLN, Neb. — Jon Cerio, ACE Academy Instructor at Gov. John R. Rogers High School in Puyallup, Washington, was honored with the 2025 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools (HFTS) Prize for Teaching Excellence.

Cerio, a long-time EDUcation member and accredited skill evaluator of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA), was among 25 high school skilled trades educators to be recognized in Harbor Freight Tools for Schools’ annual awards program. As a result, the RHS Trades program earned a $35,000 prize and an additional $15,000 went to Cerio.

Cerio is the third instructor from a WCA EDUcation school to win the prestigious award in the past four years, joining Staci Sievert of Seymour High School, Seymour, Wisconsin, and John Stearns of Amity High School, Amity, Oregon, who won the award in 2021 and 2024 respectively.

In announcing this year’s winners, HFTS emphasized Cerio’s focus on teaching “real-world application of hands-on trades skills. Whether students are college-bound, non-traditional, AP kids seeking diversification, or struggling with core classes, Cerio aims to build their confidence, problem-solving abilities, and work ethic.”

In addition, HFTS recognized Cerio in several “notes of excellence,” including:

  • Maintaining a database of his former students since 2014 in which he keeps track of their employers, job titles, and contact info so he can connect current students with alumni for mentorship, advice, and real-world opportunities.
  • Students who complete all three years of Cerio’s program can earn up to 22.5 college credits through articulation agreements, giving them a major advantage after graduation.
  • Female enrollment in Cerio’s program increased from 1 percent to 10 percent after he piloted an “All Girls Shop” course to introduce the trades to young women in a comfortable, empowering space.

“Winning the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize shines a spotlight on shop class, reminding our students and community that it’s not only still here, but thriving,” Cerio said. “This recognition helps make shop visible again, highlighting its relevance and the value of industry-recognized skills as we build toward an even bigger future.”

“We are thrilled to see Jon Cerio honored by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. Jon is an outstanding example of how WCA-accredited instructors are using our standards to connect high-school students with real-world industry needs and career pathways,” said Scott Nelson, president of the WCA. “To have three WCA EDUcation members win this prestigious prize in four years validates the importance of teaching verifiable, industry-recognized skills in the classroom.”

Cerio and Rogers High School were among 25 instructors and their programs to share in $1.5 million awarded by HFTS this year. Now in its ninth year, the prize was created to recognize excellence among high school skilled trades teachers, a group of educators HFTS notes, “are frequently overlooked and underappreciated.” More than $10 million has been awarded to more than 180 teachers and their programs through the prize.

About Harbor Freight Tools for Schools
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools owner and founder Eric Smidt, to advance excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. With a deep respect for the dignity of these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools aims to drive a greater understanding of and investment in skilled trades education, believing that access to quality skilled trades education gives high school students pathways to graduation, opportunity, good jobs and a workforce our country needs. Harbor Freight Tools is a major supporter of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program. For more information, visit hftforschools.org

About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded in 2007. Governed by a volunteer board of directors, the WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for over 240 woodworking machine operations. The WCA has issued over 6,000 Passport credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting woodworking skill achievements. Over 140 high schools and post-secondary schools across North America are WCA EDUcation™ members, and a growing number of woodworking companies have joined as WCA MANufacturing™ members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved, including INDustry™ Sponsorship opportunities, visit woodworkcareer.org.

Richard Christianson

Amity High School’s John Stearns Fosters Practical Skills and Growth Through CTE

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Amity High School Construction program

In addition to overseeing Amity High School’s three CTE programs, John Stearns instructs the construction courses.

Award-winning teacher empowers students with woodworking, construction trades, and valuable life skills.

Amity High School, nestled in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, thrives in woodworking and construction trades under the guidance of John Stearns, CTE Director and Construction Trades teacher.

Stearns was awarded one of the $50,000 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools (HFTS) Prize for Teaching Excellence last year. This award includes $35,000 in funding to enhance the school’s CTE programs.

“So far I replaced some of the worn-out, handheld power tools and upgraded a couple of things in the shop,” Stearns says. “I am using a little bit of the money to offer heavy equipment training for some of my seniors this June. We are leveraging another grant to make that happen. I also plan to leverage a chunk of it along with some other money in the district to replace our 4×4 CNC with a 4×8.”

From Youth Minister to Woodworking Teacher
Stearns was a youth minister when he volunteered to work in Amity’s woodworking classroom in 2006. His interest in building, combined with a desire to teach, led him to pursue a Master of Art and Education at Western Oregon University.

After he was hired to teach woodworking at Amity full time, he aimed to develop a curriculum that would provide students with practical skills.

Amity High School Construction class“I didn’t want my students to just be building projects. I wanted them to learn and make things that would be applicable to their lives after high school,” Stearns says. “In my search to find people that are doing that, I met Dean Mattson, who was teaching woodworking at North Salem High School at that point. He had the same vision that I did for what a high school cabinet and furniture class should be.”

Mattson’s vision led to the creation of the woodworking industry-recognized Manufacturing industrial Learning Lab (MiLL) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The MiLL opened in Fall of 2017. Stearns was recruited by Mattson to become the lead instructor in 2018.

“It was a great experience,” Stearns says. “I did that for two years up until Covid and then decided to return back to Amity.”

Now, as CTE Director, Stearns oversees three distinct programs: construction trades, woodworking, and metals. While his focus has shifted towards construction, his passion for woodworking remains a guiding force. He’s also bringing modern technology into the mix, teaching digital design and manufacturing, including CNC and laser technology.

“We have three lasers and a couple of CNC machines,” Stearns says. “I still have my hand in woodworking though I’m kind of on the dark side of the construction trade,” he jokes.

His woodworking background is largely self-taught, developed through personal projects and learning experiences. He emphasizes the importance of learning tool usage as a skill.

“Using tools is a skill and a skill is something you can learn,” he emphasizes. “It’s not a talent. You’re not born with it. You have to learn. You have to learn what tools can or can’t do. No matter how difficult something looks, if you break it all down to tool use, it usually ends up being really easy.”

Amity’s Popular Woodworking Program
The woodworking program at Amity High School, led by Savannah Stanton, includes exploration of the science of wood and various techniques. About 30 percent of the student body of 280 is enrolled in a woodworking class this academic year.

Stearns is a long-time active member of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA), including serving on its Board of Directors. As a WCA Chief Skills Evaluator, Stearns says he understands the importance of industry standards. He’s committed to ensuring his students are not just learning, but also earning valuable credentials.

He plans to start credentialing his construction trades students, recognizing that “tool use is tool use.” He also aims to increase the number of students earning WCA Sawblade Certificates and other credentials.

“My hope is to credential 20 students or so this spring,” Stearns says. “That includes all my advanced construction students and all of Savannah’s advanced woodworking students.”

Stearns values the opportunity to teach students skills that will benefit them in their future careers.

“I can teach transferable skills to students who, no matter what career path they ultimately choose, can use those skills to be successful,” he says. “I can show a young man or young woman how to look someone in the eye and shake their hand on a job site, and that skill is transferable to any life path. I can teach a student how to solve a problem while looking ahead and anticipating the next issue, and that skill is transferable to any life path that student chooses. What a cool blessing that is for a teacher.”

See related articles: Sievert Steps Up and Seymour’s Tech-Ed Program Takes Off – Woodwork Career Alliance of North America.

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Sets May 2 Teacher Prize Deadline – Woodwork Career Alliance of North America

Richard Christianson

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Sets May 2 Teacher Prize Deadline

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Outstanding U.S. public high school skilled trades teachers can apply for a total of $1.5 million in cash prizes starting today.

Since 2017, more than $9 million has been awarded to 158 skilled trades teachers and their programs. The deadline to apply for the 2025 prize is Friday, May 2. Teachers can apply at: HFTforschoolsprize.org.

This year, a grand total of $1.5 million will be awarded to 25 teachers and their skilled trades programs. Winners will be announced in the fall.

Two instructors affiliated with EDUcation programs of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America have won the $50,000 award including John Stearns of Amity High School in Amity, Oregon, last year and Staci Sievert of Seymour High School in Seymour, Wisconsin, in 2021.

The mission of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is to increase understanding, support and investment in skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. The prize is its flagship program.

“More than ever, our country will be relying on high school skilled trades teachers to educate the next generation of tradespeople,” said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “We are facing down a massive shortage of skilled trades workers, a problem made even more urgent as we ask who will rebuild our communities after devastating damage from hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters.”

The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence was started in 2017 by Harbor Freight Tools owner and founder Eric Smidt. The prize recognizes outstanding instruction in the skilled trades in U.S. public high schools and the valuable work of teachers who inspire students to learn a trade that prepares them for life after graduation.

“The prize is our way of celebrating the essential work high school skilled trades teachers do every day in their classrooms,” Smidt said.  “We are grateful for the expertise and enthusiasm they share with their students.”

The best skilled trades programs embody what great hands-on teaching and learning should look like in any classroom. Excellent skilled trades teachers are deeply knowledgeable and passionate about their subject matter and the potential of their students, teach skills in leadership and collaboration, and offer a relevant curriculum that is connected to skilled trades career pathways.

The five Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence grand prize winners will receive $100,000 each, with $30,000 going to the teacher and $70,000 going to their program. Twenty additional prize winners will each win $50,000, with $15,000 going to the teacher and $35,000 going to their program. Teachers whose school, district or state policy prohibits the receipt of the individual portion of prize earnings are eligible to apply on behalf of their school’s skilled trades program.

About Harbor Freight Tools for Schools
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools owner and founder Eric Smidt, to advance excellent skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. With a deep respect for the dignity of these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools aims to drive a greater understanding of and investment in skilled trades education. We believe that access to quality skilled trades education gives high school students pathways to graduation, opportunity, good jobs, and a workforce our country needs. Harbor Freight Tools is a major supporter of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program. For more information, visit htfforschools.org.

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence are registered trademarks licensed by The Smidt Foundation.

Richard Christianson

Nominations for HFTS $1M Teaching Excellence Awards Ends May 21

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CALABASAS, Calif.  — Applications are being accepted until May 21 for the 2021 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. The fifth annual program will award cash prizes totaling more than $1 million to 18 of America’s best public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs.

Nominations can be submitted at hftforschoolsprize.org.

The mission of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is to increase understanding, support of and investment in skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools. The Prize for Teaching Excellence is its flagship program.

“We’re honored to shine a spotlight on excellent skilled trades teaching and learning in America’s public high schools and bring well-deserved attention to these amazing educators,” said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “In the five years since the prize was created, we have celebrated more than 70 prize-winning teachers from around the country and continue to collaborate with them to advance this important field of education.”

The best-skilled trades programs embody what great hands-on teaching and learning should look like in any classroom, for any subject. Excellent skilled trades teachers use project-based learning, teach skills like leadership and collaboration, and help students apply academics to the real world.

The past year has been a challenging time for all educators and skilled trades teachers have needed to be inventive to offer hands-on learning at a distance when schools were closed. The 2021 application will provide an opportunity for trades teachers to share how they adjusted and kept their students engaged.


The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence was started in 2017 by Harbor Freight Tools owner and founder Eric Smidt. The prize recognizes outstanding instruction in the skilled trades in U.S. public high schools and the valuable work of teachers who inspire students to learn a trade that prepares them for life after graduation.

Past winners of the prize are teachers who have led their students to rebuild homes destroyed by hurricanes, manufacture parts for major aerospace companies and run live automotive repair shops on their high school campuses.

“Think of terrific skilled trades teachers at your neighborhood high school or career and tech center, or the teacher who helped you learn your trade,” Smidt said. “First, thank them. Then tell them to apply for the prize.”

About the Prize:

  • Harbor Freight Tools for Schools has received more than 2,600 applications for the prize since 2017.
  • The benefits of the prize have had an impact on more than 50,000 students in skilled trades programs nationwide.
  • More than $3.5 million in cash awards have been given to 72 winning teachers and their skilled trades programs.
  • Winning teachers are invited to the annual Let’s Build It Institute, a three-day convening hosted by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools where teachers share best practices and pilot innovative ideas.
  • Three grand prize winners will receive $100,000 each, with $70,000 going to their high school skilled trades program and $30,000 going directly to the individual skilled trades teacher.
  • Fifteen additional prize winners will each win $50,000, with $35,000 going to the high school program and $15,000 going to the teacher.
  • Teachers whose school, district or state policy prohibits the receipt of the individual portion of prize earnings are eligible to apply on behalf of their school’s skilled trades program.
  • The application process and the prize are designed to give teachers access to ideas and practices through a network of like-minded exceptional educators and leaders.
  • For updates on the prize, follow Harbor Freight Tools for Schools on Instagram and Twitter.

View past Teaching Excellence award winners. 

 

Richard Christianson

Studies Find Strong Support for Skilled Trades Education

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Two new studies commissioned by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools (HFTS) examine the state of high school skilled trades education and what American think about it.

Highlighted findings of the studies include:

  • More than 1 million students study skilled trades in high school.
  • Eight in 10 voters favor increased public funding for skilled trades education and think it should be a priority in high school.
  • Eight in 10 parents say their children would be better prepared for the future if they had a chance to study a trade in high school.

Each of the studies was conducted by an independent organization — JFF, a nonprofit that works to drive economic advancement for all Americans, and NORC, a nonpartisan polling organization at the University of Chicago.

According to HTFS, “Our hope was to start productive conversations about the potential of high school skilled trades education to uplift students, families, communities, and our economy.”

Download the studies.

 

Richard Christianson

Harbor Freight Offers $1M in Prizes for Teacher Excellence Awards

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Nominations are now being accepted for the 2019 Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence sponsored by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools.

Skilled trades teachers of U.S. public schools are invited to enter the third annual awards program that features $1 million in cash and prizes. The entry deadline is June 17, 2019.

Three first-place winners will receive $100,000 and 15 second-place winners will receive $50,000. The the awards will be divided between the winning teacher and the school’s skilled trades program. In addition, 35 semi-finalists will receive a $1,000 gift card to support their high school’s skilled trades programs.

Eric Smidt, founder of Harbor Freight, said, “I have a special place in my heart for skilled trades teachers, especially those who teach in high school. We depend on skilled trades workers. They fix the cars we drive, they build and repair the homes we live in and they do so much more. Yet more than 1.5 million skilled trades workers will retire by 2024, and there are not nearly enough students entering the trades to fill those jobs. Even at Harbor Freight Tools, as we’re building and opening two new stores every week, we struggle to find enough skilled electricians, carpenters, plumbers and HVAC technicians.”

To learn more about the awards program and to nominate, visit hftforschoolsprize.org. 

Click here to read about last year’s winners.

 

Richard Christianson

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Awards Top Teachers

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Harbor Freight Tools for Schools awarded more than $1 million in cash and prizes to the teachers of 52 U.S. public high school skilled trade programs.

Three first-place prizes of $100,000 were awarded with $70,000 going to the public high school skilled trades program and $30,000 to the individual skilled trades teacher or teacher team behind the winning program. In addition, 15 second-place winners each received $50,000 with $35,000 going to the program and $15,000 to the teacher/team. Wes Crawford and Josh Gary, instructors of the Woods Manufacturing, Welding, and Agriscience program at Sutherlin High School in OR were among the second place winners.

Of the 34 semi-finalists, two were woodworking instructors, including Seth Thomas, Wood and Metalworking at Cedarcrest High School in WA and Molly Turner, Wood Manufacturing Technologies at
Ignacio High School in CO.

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, a program of the Smidt Foundation, is dedicated to the advancement of skilled trades education in America. The Teaching Excellence Prize was created to foster and shine a light on excellence in skilled trades education in public high schools.

This was the second annual Teaching Excellence Prize. Nominations for the 2019 program will open next spring.

Learn more about the HTFS Teaching Excellence Prize.

Richard Christianson

Harbor Freight Supports High School CTE Programs in a Big Way

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Harbor Freight, a discount tool retailer based in Calabasas, CA, is furthering its commitment to support U.S. public high school career and technical education programs.

In 2013, Harbor Freight launched Harbor Freight Tools for Schools (HTFS) and donated $1.5 million worth of tools to the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Last year, the company awarded more than $550,000 in prizes through its inaugural HTFS Prize for Teaching Excellence. Three first-place winners each won $30,000 for themselves and $70,000 to support their programs; seven second-place winners each won $10,000 and $20,000 to support their programs and 44 semi-finalists each received a $1,000 tool donation for their programs.

Several of the winners instruct woodworking programs, including first-place winner Jonathan Swartz, who teaches advanced manufacturing and woodworking at Colfax High School in Colfax, CA, and second-place winners Cole Smith and Bill Hartman, who teach construction, woodworking and design at Rancho Cotate High School in California.

Nearly 700 entries were received for the 2017 HTFS Prize for Teaching Excellence. HTFS plans to announced details for its 2018 program to award more than $1 million in cash and prizes May 1 and will accept applications between May 16 and July 6. To learn more watch the video below and visit harborfreighttoolsforschools.org.

In addition to the Prize for Teaching Excellence, representatives of U.S. public high school skill trades programs can request a gift card donation for tools. Click here to learn more. 

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