EPHS teacher wins $100,000 grant

Gina Williams/Standard Democrat Rylyn Small, agricultural mechanics teacher at East Prairie High School, enters the gymnasium Tuesday, Oct. 3 for the school assembly to celebrate his winning the $100,000 grand prize of the 2023 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — East Prairie High School agricultural mechanics teacher Rylyn Small of East Prairie has been named a $100,000 grand prize winner of the 2023 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, winning $30,000 for himself and $70,000 for his school’s program. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, East Prairie High School held an assembly in the high school gymnasium to honor Small for winning the Harbor Freight Tools Grand Prize.

Small praised God above all for giving him the opportunity to work with so many great students and extended a special thank you to the school board of education. 

Gina Williams/Standard Democrat East Prairie High School students celebrate on Tuesday, Oct. 3 their agricultural mechanics teacher, Rylyn Small, who won the $100,000 grand prize of the 2023 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.

“This isn’t a job where I say, ‘I have to go to work,”’ Small said. “This is a job where I say, ‘I get to go to work, and I’m excited to get out and teach every single day.”

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.

“As an agricultural teacher, I am proud to say that our program has a significant impact on the lives of our students,” Small said. “Our program is designed to teach valuable agricultural concepts and skills and instill important values such as responsibility, hard work, and teamwork.

Small continued: “My goal is that all 152 students that walk through my classroom, no matter their socioeconomic status, have the opportunity to find a career bringing them out of poverty.”

The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence began in 2017 with Smidt. The prize was created to recognize excellent high school-skilled trade teachers, a group of educators who are frequently overlooked and under-appreciated.

Small was one of the five grand prize winners among the 25 public high school skilled trades teachers in the United States who shared in the $1.5 million cash reward. Twenty award winners received $50,000 ($15,000 for the teacher and $35,000 for the school’s skilled trades program), and five grand prize winners received $100,000 ($70,000 for the teacher and $30,000 for the school’s trade program).

This year there were winners from 17 states. A full list of the winners are available at  https://hftforschools.org.

Each of the winners teaches a variety of skilled trades: construction, carpentry, plumbing, welding, automotive repair, agricultural mechanics, advanced manufacturing and industrial technology.

Debbie Colyott from Congressman Jason Smith’s office also attended the assembly with a letter from Smith to congratulate Small.

Colyott read Smith’s letter out loud to Small at the assembly.  

“Dear Rylyn Small, I join you and East Prairie High School in being awarded the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence,” Colyott said as she read Smith’s letter. “This award recognizes your excellence among high school agricultural and mechanic teachers. Your heart and dedication to serve your community make you indelibly worthy of this honor.”