INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indy high school teacher on Wednesday got the surprise of a lifetime for his dedication to teaching skilled trades and helping students prepare for their future.

A moment of shock and celebration for Andrew Rice, an automotive instructor at J. Everett Light Career Center. Rice was one of 25 educators nationwide honored with the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools prize for teaching excellence. The Tools for Schools program aims to advance skilled trades education in public high schools.

“I feel like I really just won the award for coming in and doing what I do on a daily basis,” Rice said. “I just had the chance to express that to someone who recognizes that. So, that’s a great feeling.”

Rice received a check for $50,000. The high school skilled trades program will receive $35,000, and Rice will receive $15,000.

He wants to use the money to focus on getting his students Automotive Service Excellence-certified, and get them ready for the workforce.

“There’s 10 certifications available for the students, and it covers every single topic of the automotive industries, Rice said.” “So, breaks, alignments, air conditioning, electrical, the whole nine yards.”

Out of 906 teachers who entered the contest, Rice was the only teacher in Indiana selected for the award. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools will award $1.5 million in prizes this year.

“He leaves it all out there, and I think that that’s what separates a lot of the students is ‘Why are they doing it?’” said Chip Williams, district manager and director at Harper Freight Tools Indiana South. “For him, it was clearly that he really commits to the investment into his people and students.”

Rice has impacted the lives of many of his students. In the 2023-2024 school year, 97% of his students earned transferable dual college credits, allowing them to save over $160,000 on tuition and earn 18 credits.

“You’ll have students in class you may not expect to see in the workforce, and then a few years later, you go get your car serviced and there’s a student in the back going, ‘Mr. Rice,’ and it’s a great feeling,” Rice said. “It’s a very rewarding career. I really can’t see myself anywhere other than JEL.”