Staff and students at Bullard Havens Technical School in Bridgeport are honoring a teacher who received national recognition.

Roxanne Amiot, head of the Bullard Haven Automotive Department, was recently named a second place winner in the "Harbor Freight Tools for Schools" prize for teaching excellence.

Amiot was nominated last spring by her students.

"I love teaching, I love what this school and my teachers gave me here, and I love to give it back,” says Amiot. “My students are like my family, they're like my own kids and being able to pass on what was passed on to me … so they can lead productive lives just means everything to me."

The Bullard-Havens Automotive Program was awarded over $20,000 as a result of the contest.