Edmonson County High School broke ground last week on a new vocational education wing, one of several major renovations resulting from $10 million awarded to the school.

Superintendent Brian Alexander called the upgrades a “game changer for Edmonson County schools” that provides “state of the art facilities” to a number of programs.

Alexander told a crowd of parents, teachers and students at a ceremony Friday this marks the first renovation to the school since it was built in 1981.

In all, the grant will significantly improve the school’s agricultural, welding, allied health, business marketing, electrical engineering and automotive programs.

Alex Nassey, the school’s allied health teacher and a nurse of 10 years, began teaching classes in an old home economics room surrounded by ovens and countertops.

The ovens are long gone, but they’ve still made do in that room.

Thanks to a partnership with Med Center Health and the grant funding, her students will use updated mannequins, hospital beds and equipment in a newly built wing.

Nassey said the changes will be something students “can be really proud of.”

“I’ve learned that when these these kids have something they can be proud of, they perform better,” Massey said. “It’s going to increase these kids efforts, their performance, their opportunities — it’s just going to open a whole new door for our kids here in Edmonson.”

Brandon Meredith, welding instructor and owner of Meredith Welding Technologies, said the industry has “grown leaps and bounds” since he began at the school 15 years ago.

Meredith said the new equipment is almost exactly what students will see if they enter the workforce as a welder.

“We’re getting brand new, 2023 technology, which is computer integrated — it’s state of the art, it’s the newest of the new,” Meredith said. “Stuff that, if you walk out of here and go to Bowling Green Metalforming or Nova (Steel) or Bilstein (Group), that’s the equipment there.”

Meredith said the program allows students opportunities to enter high paying professions essentially right out of high school, paying nothing compared to outside vocational training.

In addition, Meredith said vocational classes provide variety to students during a time when many are considering a future career path.

Meredith sees nothing wrong with going to college, but says some students simply don’t want that path. Meredith himself was one of those students.

“I wasn’t a classroom guy, I didn’t like it, I couldn’t sit still — but when I went into the shop, it was different,” Meredith said.

The funding was awarded based on the building’s age and county’s socioeconomic conditions. It seeks to help break cycles of generational poverty for students and families, Director of Facilities & Safety Callie Beliles said.

Local business and community leaders as well as principals and board members joined Alexander, including Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Rep. Michael Meredith.

Coleman said the renovation is thanks to the leadership of Gov. Andy Beshear and legislators like Meredith.

“As we build on this historic economic momentum in Kentucky, we all acknowledge that big investments are needed and when we all work together, we can achieve really big things — and that’s exactly what happened here,” Coleman said.