Taylor Donnelly, a high school agricultural mechanics teacher from Sheridan, has been named a winner of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. She won $15,000 for herself and $35,000 for her program.
The Sheridan High School teacher is one of 20 prize winners across the country who won.
According to a press release, 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.
“We cannot overstate the impact that high school skilled trades teachers are having in the classroom. Hands-on skilled trades classes are making a comeback, and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate the accomplishments of these remarkable teachers and their programs,’’ said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools.
There were 19 other winners, hailing from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin – with skilled trades in automotive, construction, carpentry, industrial technology, welding, agricultural mechanics, and machining.
The 2022 prize drew a record 768 applications from all 50 states and included three rounds of judging, each by an independent panel of experts from industry, education, trades, philanthropy and civic leadership. The application process, which included responses to questions and a series of video learning modules, was designed to solicit each teacher’s experience, insights and creative ideas about their approach to teaching and success in helping their students achieve excellence in the skilled trades.
In June, the field was narrowed to 50 finalists. The high school skilled trades programs of the 30 finalists who were not named winners will each receive a $1,000 gift card from Harbor Freight Tools.
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