Donna Newell and Erie High School Share $100,000 Grand Prize
Donna Newell, a welding teacher from Erie, Pennsylvania, has been named a grand prize winner of the 2024 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, winning $30,000 for herself and $70,000 for her school’s program.
Newell, who teaches at Erie High School, is one of five grand prize winners. In all, 25 high school skilled trades teachers across the United States were surprised with the news that they had won a portion of the $1.5 million in cash prizes awarded today.
“I want our students to know they can travel anywhere in the world using these skills and make a great living for themselves and their families… The possibilities for opportunity and growth are endless,” Newell wrote in her prize application.
The winners teach a variety of skilled trades, including construction, carpentry, welding, automotive, agricultural mechanics, advanced manufacturing, and industrial technology.
The prize, now in its eighth year, was created to recognize excellent high school skilled trades teachers, a group of educators who are frequently overlooked and underappreciated. Since 2017, more than $8.9 million has been awarded to over 150 teachers and their schools’ programs. 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.
This year there are winners from 19 states, including: California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. A full list of winners is here.
“We are thrilled to honor these 25 dedicated teachers who are making such an important difference in the lives of their students every day,” said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “They have earned this prize because they are highly knowledgeable about the skilled trades, have a deep belief in the potential of their students, and have built programs that prepare students for a multitude of opportunities after high school.”
The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence was started in 2017 by Eric Smidt, owner and founder of Harbor Freight Tools.
“Our future will be built by the students in today’s skilled trades classrooms,” Smidt said. “We appreciate the outstanding teachers who are preparing the next generation of skilled trades professionals across the United States.”
This year there were more than 900 applications for the prize. The application process included three rounds of judging, each by an independent panel of experts from education, industry, nonprofits, and philanthropy.
The 25 winners and their programs will receive a total of $1.5 million in cash prizes as follows:
- Five Grand Prize Winners – Amount: $100,000 each ($70,000 for their school’s skilled trades program and $30,000 for the teacher)
- Twenty Prize Winners – Amount: $50,000 each ($35,000 for their school’s skilled trades program and $15,000 for the teacher)
In some cases, due to school, district or state policy, the schools’ skilled trades programs will receive the entire prize winnings.
