Chase Haecker is used to making small budgets stretch in his construction classroom at Warren High School in Northside Independent School District. But on Tuesday, he was surprised with a $75,000 check for “teaching excellence.”
“I would’ve dressed up if I knew,” Haecker, who’s in his 18th year of teaching, joked after getting a giant plastic check from national tool company Harbor Freight.
Every year, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools awards skilled trade educators in programs ranging from carpentry to automotive and electrical programs. It’s meant to acknowledge teachers “frequently overlooked and under appreciated.”
Haecker has applied for the Harbor Freights Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence five years in a row, but never won before.
The application process included three rounds of judging with panels of education, industry and philanthropy experts, and more than 500 teachers across the country applied.
“The true reward of my work is witnessing students translate these skills and their own creativity into tangible furniture or structure,” Haecker wrote in his application. “My classes not only give students skills but also hope.”
On Tuesday, Warren High School administrators, district leaders, Harbor Freight employees, students and Heacker’s family gathered in the school gym to break the good news. White Haecker knew he was finalist, being one of 25 winners across the country and the only one in Texas was kept secret from him for days.
Principal Melissa Hurst lured Haecker from his classroom with a flooring “emergency” in the gym. But when Hacker walked in, he was met with fanfare: live music from the high school band, cheerleaders and student-packed gym bleachers.
Harbor Freight handed him the check and gifted him a shiny toolbox painted purple for Warren’s school colors.
“He really cares about his kids,” said his wife Trish Haecker. “He just loves what he does, and he’s always evolving. He always wants to think up more things. He likes to have his kids do things that will help the community.”
Haecker first joined Warren 18 years ago after working for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. His background is in interior design, and his love of craftsmanship started as a child while working alongside his farmer and carpenter grandfather.
When he pivoted to education as Warren’s carpentry teacher, his goal was to build out the program and make it authentic for his students.
Now, Warren’s carpentry program partners with groups like Habitat for Humanity, which provides blueprints and materials for students to build complete wall packages. Hacker also secured a partnership with construction company Marek Brothers, which supplies the program with drywall, metal framing training and paid internships.
The program also has a 95% graduation rate, offering students certifications including OSHA 10-Hour, HBI-PACT Carpentry, NIOSH, and HILTI Powder-Actuated Nail Gun certifications.
Every year, Haecker’s students also build 10-by-12-foot storage sheds for the Alamo Housing Authority and build 20 bunk beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that gives beds to children in need.
His program has also grown more popular throughout the years, even though the Warren campus also houses Construction Careers Academy, a magnet high school in a separate building.
This school year, Haecker’s introductory class Principles of Constructions has 30 freshmen and sophomores enrolled, but his class sizes are usually around 20 students.
He’s secured other grants in the past, including a $20,000 grant from the Spurs to recognize students for building wooden toys and furniture for charities. Haecker just spent the last of that money on equipment.
His yearly budgets aren’t enough to cover all his classroom needs, Haecker said, which is why he’s worked to build partnerships with local businesses. At the same time, NISD is facing a multi-million dollar deficit and has undergone budget cuts a couple years in a row now.
But Haecker wants to keep Warren’s carpentry program “interesting” to students, especially as it grows in popularity.
“Tools are breaking down. I’ve been here 18 years. I just bought two new nail guns. They used to be $200. Now they’re $400. And toolboxes — I don’t have enough toolboxes. Just little things like that are going to mean a lot to me.”
The $75,000 award from Harbor Freight means he won’t have to “nickel and dime” program expenses for now.
“Now, I’m like I can really start thinking outside of the box, pun intended.”
