A Slippery Rock High School teacher got a $25,000 surprise this morning, and she was the only teacher in Pennsylvania to receive it.

Special education teacher Melanie Cole was named the 2017-18 Milken Educator Award winner, which comes with an unrestricted $25,000 prize.

Pedro Rivera, the state Secretary of Education and Milken Educator Awards senior vice president Jane Foley bestowed the surprise award on Cole at the high school gymnasium, where her "exceptional work as an educator and model for the state and nation" was recognized.

The honor is to be presented to up to 45 educators each year across the nation. It has been described as "the Oscars of teaching" by Teacher magazine.