Maple Mountain High School welding teacher Jared Massic was named a winner of the 2024 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, and a $50,000 prize. The award was given to 25 skilled trade teachers nationwide, and Massic was one of two in Utah who received the award.
Serve Daily first reported on Massic in September 2022, when he led students at MMHS to a win at the Juab County Fair Demolition Derby. In that article, he was quoted as saying that he is “purely a welding teacher who knows how to fabricate stuff.”
Clearly, Massic is far more than just a welding teacher, and this award is evidence of that.The prestigious award is said to have been “created to recognize excellent high school skilled trades teachers.” The award also aims to pay homage to what it sees as “a group of educators who are frequently overlooked and underappreciated.”
“We are thrilled to honor these 25 dedicated teachers who are making such an important difference in the lives of their students every day,” said Danny Corwin, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “They have earned this prize because they are highly knowledgeable about the skilled trades, have a deep belief in the potential of their students, and have built programs that prepare students for a multitude of opportunities after high school.”
Massic has done that and more. In fact, according to a bio received by Serve Daily, Massic is a certified welding inspector and welding educator who “uses project-based learning to encourage his students to approach challenges critically and collaboratively. “ He prides himself in teaching his younger students how to not only weld, but to design and “bring a blueprint design to life.” His advanced students have been able to create complex projects that have earned multiple state and national medals.
According to a press release, Massic said that as proud as he is of his students’ welding success, he is equally as passionate about the personal growth of his students. In fact, two years post-graduation, approximately 90 percent of Massic’s students are still engaged in the industry or pursuing further education in trades-based or STEM programs.
During his years of teaching, Massic has also been awarded the Huntsman Teaching in Excellence Award; AWS Section 59 Educator of the Year; 2018 SkillsUSA Utah Cluster Chair of the Year; and the Utah ACTE 2023 Teacher of the Year for Work-Based Learning. He also serves as head of the CTE department and as the Utah Contest Director for SkillsUSA. Additionally, his master’s thesis focused on the effectiveness of virtual welding training aids in the classroom.
“My passion lies in empowering students and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed not only as an employee but as a mentor, making teaching skilled trades an immensely rewarding journey,” Massic said in his prize application.
Massic was presented with the recent Teaching Excellence award on October 4, at an assembly at Mountain High School without any prior knowledge he was receiving it. $35,000 will go back into the school’s program, and $15,000 was awarded to Massic.
On behalf of the community, Serve Daily thanks Massic for his contribution to the community and congratulates him on his well-deserved award.
For more information on the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program, visit HFTforschools.org.