ARDMORE, Oklahoma — Robert Adams, a cabinet making and carpentry teacher from Ardmore, has been named a winner of the 2025 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, winning $15,000 for himself and $35,000 for his school’s program.
Adams, who teaches at Southern Oklahoma Technology Center, is one of 25 public high school skilled trades teachers across the United States who were surprised with the news that they had won. A total of $1.5 million in cash prizes were awarded today.
“I am passionate about sharing the importance of precision and craftsmanship. I want the value of accuracy, attention to detail, and taking pride in your work to be at the heart of everything my students do,” Adams wrote in his prize application.
•Adams received the Oklahoma ACTE Equity Award in 2018 and has been nominated for Teacher of the Year and the Carl Perkins Community Service Award.
•On average, 97 percent of Adams’ students earn OSHA10, National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI), and Oklahoma Careertech certifi cations.
•As a SkillsUSA advisor, Adams has led championship-winning teams to state and national competitions in Carpentry and Cabinet Making.
•His students have a 94 percent positive placement rate into career opportunities after completing his program.
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 ninth year, was created to recognize excellent high school skilled trades teachers, a group of educators who are frequently overlooked and underappreciated. As of today, over $10 million has been awarded to more than 180 teachers and their programs through the prize. 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 18 states, including: Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. A full list of winners is here.
The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence was started in 2017 by Eric Smidt, owner and founder of Harbor Freight Tools.
“In recent years we have seen growing support for the expansion of skilled trades education in high schools,” Smidt said. “The skilled trades are experiencing significant labor shortages and these outstanding teachers are leading the way in developing a new generation of skilled trades professionals.”
This year there were more than 1,000 applications for the prize. The application process included three rounds of judging, each by an independent panel of experts from education, industry, nonprofi ts, and philanthropy.
The 25 winners and their programs will receive a total of $1.5 million in cash prizes.
