Union County High School Automotive Paint & Body Teacher Randy Zimmerman was pleasantly surprised on Tuesday, Sept. 30, when he was led into the UCHS gym to fanfare from the band and applause from students.
The reason for all the celebration? Zimmerman is a recipient of the prestigious 2025 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.
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Competition is stiff; only 25 public high school skilled trades teachers nationwide received the honor out of more than 1,000 applicants, with $1.5 million in total cash prizes awarded by Harbor Freight.
Twenty of those winners, including Zimmerman, earned $50,000 for use in their classrooms, and in Zimmerman’s case, a personalized, Panther purple toolbox.
Started in 2017 by Harbor Freight Tools Owner and Founder Eric Smidt, the Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence seeks to bring recognition to “frequently overlooked and underappreciated” teachers making a difference in the field of trade skills.
“With a deep respect for the dignity of these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools aims to drive a greater understanding of and investment in skilled trades education,” states the official website.
Boasting nearly 50 years of industry experience, Zimmerman has an abundance of skill. He never thought he’d use that knowledge as a teacher, but his easygoing personality makes him a natural. And what happens in the classroom depends on the skill levels of individual students.
“They don’t have to adapt to me; I have to adapt to them,” Zimmerman said. “Whatever level my student’s at, that’s how I teach.
“If I’ve got a student that needs more help, he or she gets more help. The ones that can pick up speed and move along at a faster pace, then I work with them to keep them moving forward.”
That said, everyone who takes the class must first understand the importance of safety. Zimmerman says it’s his first priority, and while some students may get annoyed with all the repeated focus on safety protocol, Zimmerman wouldn’t have it any other way. I-CAR Academy is a staple of Zimmerman’s curriculum and outlines many of his rules for safety etiquette.
“It takes a while” for students to develop the proper coordination to begin handling hardware, but once they’ve proven they’re responsible enough to work in collision repair, they can begin the hands-on activities like dent repair.
Many seniors end up in the refinishing department; Zimmerman likens the paint booth as the “crown jewel” of the class, and though some may start out wanting to get to the top right away, Zimmerman teaches them that they must work their way up to get where they want to go.
All $50,000 of Zimmerman’s prize money will go toward the Collision Repair Pathway, which is the first automotive program at UCHS in 65 years. Car parts and repair equipment are expensive, and with constantly evolving technology, it’s hard to stay up to date. Now, though, Zimmerman has an edge, and he has his eye on a few specific ideas.
Paintless dent repair is one of those plans, which Zimmerman describes as a “huge, huge deal.” Rather than utilizing a device that welds a pin to a panel, the process employs glue administration to metal. Overall, the choice saves money as well as time.
“The way I feel right now, I’m so very proud – I’m proud of my students each and every day, but now, with this gigantic opportunity, it means that we’ll be able to make our program even better and increase the depth of our program,” Zimmerman shared. “This will help us, hand-over-fist, to get where we’re headed.”
He credits this major win to the collaboration and strong support system he finds within Union County Schools. Whether it’s the Board of Education, industry team, administration or his fellow teachers, Zimmerman says he has “never worked with a better team in my life.”
After suffering a major stroke in 1994, Zimmerman said he bounced back strong after three years of intensive therapy. Since then, he’s been living life to the fullest. The new direction of his career and the lives he’s touched through it are evidence enough of that.
“Every day is a blessing for me, and I’m so happy to be here,” Zimmerman said with a broad smile. On the subject of his students, he added, “They make me laugh each and every day. Not only do they thrive, but I thrive, too. I feed off of that, I do.”
