GEORGETOWN, Ky. (WKYT) - A Georgetown high school teacher received a massive surprise Monday morning.

Wylie Messer was awarded $50,000 for his excellence in skilled trades education.

Wylie Messer, who teaches welding and advanced manufacturing at Great Crossing High School, was one of 25 winners nationwide selected from more than 1,000 applicants across 49 states for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools award.

“It doesn’t even really feel real,” Messer said after receiving the surprise check during a school assembly complete with applause and the school’s fight song.

Current and former students say Messer’s class extends far beyond just welding instruction, with his efforts reaching well beyond the classroom walls.

“We have three parts of our framework. It’s workplace skills, technica

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