Schneider Wins $75,000 Teaching Excellence Prize To Share With School
By Jessica Wald
During a surprise celebration held at the Napoleon Public School last Tuesday, September 29, 2026, NHS’s Vo-Ag Teacher, Mr. Brian Schneider was awarded the 2026 Harbor Freight Tools For Schools Prize For Teaching Excellence, a $75,000 prize for Schneider and the school to share ($25,000 for himself and $50,000 for his school’s program).
Mr. Schneider was all smiles as he was greeted with applause and cheering from a student and staff lined hallway and gymnasium, where he entered to find more students, community members, family and reps from Harbor Freight, the ND FFA, FFA Alumni and more. This was a big week for Schneider, as this came just five days after Schneider was named the 2027 ND State Teacher of the Year.
District Manager from Harbor Freight Tools Keith Kubasta presented Schneider with a full bank tool cart, along with a check with the winnings to share.
Schneider was 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 $2 million in cash prizes were awarded last week.
"Forty years later, I still love what I do and love sharing my knowledge with my students. I believe in them and they believe in me and that’s what makes it work,” he noted during the ceremony. “I believe my program would stack up well against any skills program in the nation.”
The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence started in 2017 by Eric Smidt, owner and founder of Harbor Freight Tools.
“When we started the prize a decade ago, our goal was to recognize and celebrate the best skilled trades teachers and programs across America,” Smidt said. “Today, we have a nation-wide shortage of skilled trades workers and the need for high school classes to prepare students for that work has never been higher. That’s why we’re excited to increase the prize to bring attention to these inspiring teachers and invest even more in their important work.”
Schneider is only the. . .