For 13 years, Clay Christensen has been teaching welding classes, including 11 years at Sheridan High School in Wyoming.
“The opportunity to teach kids something that they can go out and use right after high school and become employable is something that I'm really passionate about,” Christensen said Tuesday.
Watch the surprise gathering for Christensen below:
On Tuesday, Christensen was surprised with a $50,000 check from Harbor Freight for their Tools for Teachers campaign.
He was one out of 25 teachers to be selected for the prize, and over 1,000 people applied for the check.
“This is awesome. Really an opportunity to show off our program,” Christensen said.
He plans to upgrade tools and make the welding program bigger at Sheridan High.
“Just upgrade some tools and buy some things that will just help kids become that much better for their industry when they go out into the real world,” Christensen said.
For Christensen, it’s always been about the students and watching them discover their potential.
“They may come here and say, ‘Man, this is really what I want to do.’ And those are what keeps me coming every day,” Christensen said.
The connection with students extends well beyond graduation, providing lasting motivation for the dedicated teacher.
“Having students come back and say thank you for what you taught me and the life skills that you taught me throughout our time in high school and then being able to apply the skills that they've learned is really what keeps me going,” Christensen said.
His students are proud to learn from such a dedicated instructor. Rolly Hartman, a senior who has been in the welding class for four years, appreciates Christensen’s real-world approach to teaching.
“He's one of those teachers that he teaches the same way here as you teach out in the field,” Hartman said.
Hartman highlighted why Christensen continues to make a difference in students’ lives.
“He's one of those teachers that teaches the same way here as you teach out in the field,” Hartman said. “He helped me kind of pursue this goal and like now I want to be a mobile rig welder.”
Colton Smith, another senior who began the class as a freshman, jumped into the program with enthusiasm.
“I decided to jump right in with both feet, take that welding one class with Mr. Christensen,” Smith said.
Smith says Christensen has consistently supported his growth and future aspirations.
“He just wants you to definitely build up that lifetime and future success to where you can go and start your own business one day,” Smith said.
While students love to praise the instructor, Christensen says the feeling is mutual and credits his students for the program’s success.
“I think it's a testament to the program and the kids that we have because they're the ones that are doing everything every day,” Christensen said.
