Columbia teacher wins $100,000 for classroom

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A teacher at the Columbia Area Career Center was one of five grand-prize winners for Harbor Freight's Tools For Schools. 

Jared Monroe – who teaches automotive technology-- received $100,000. The money will be split so $70,000 will go to improvements for his classroom while the rest will go to Monroe. 

Monroe hasn't thought about what he will do with the money. 

"I have no idea yet,” he said. “I've been trying to not get my hopes up so I've just been waiting until I found out. So I guess now the planning starts to kind of try to figure out what to do with it."

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is awarding $1.25 million in prizes to 20 skilled-trades teachers nationwide. Another Missouri teacher – Aaron Ervin o the Pike Lincoln Technical Center – also received an award.