East Prairie teacher wins $100K grand prize from Harbor Freight

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. (KBSI) – A teacher in East Prairie was awarded a $100,000 prize.

Rylyn Small was named a $100,000 grand prize winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.

Small is an agricultural mechanics teacher at East Prairie High School in East Prairie.

He won $70,000 for his school’s program and $30,000 for himself, according to the East Prairie School District.

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

Small’s award is one of $1.5 million that was awarded to 25 public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs across the United States.