As future teachers enter Lagomarcino Hall, the home of the School of Education, they used to enter a dark, outdated space. Now, after the renovation, students enter a space that reflects the modern education system they will enter in the future.

The ribbon cutting for Lagomarcino Hall’s $5.7 million renovation took place at 3 p.m. Friday, April 24 in the Lagomarcino courtyard.

The ceremony welcomed attendees by serving refreshments in the newly renovated section of the building. They could also lead themselves on tours and interact with the volunteers who were stationed at different areas of the building.

The volunteers were all students in the School of Education.

“It’s not this dark place anymore and it’s a lot more modern. With everything changing on campus it feels like it’s meant to be here on campus compared to the old building,” said Samantha Mattingly, junior in elementary education and student volunteer at the ribbon cutting.

The volunteers were excited and proud to show off their new building to the attendees as they lined the hallways offering information about the new features.

The students are the “truth bearers” who will communicate the feelings the renovation brings for the School of Education, said Chuck Achter, assistant to the director and senior lecturer in the School of Education.

After allowing some time to get acquainted with the new building, Steven Leath, president of Iowa State; Pamela White, dean of the College of Human Sciences; Marlene Strathe, director of the School of Education and three education students all made remarks.

Because the list of speakers included students, they could share what the renovation means to them and how it will help them, said Camry Crosswait, senior in elementary education with an endorsement in English as a second language and student speaker at the ribbon cutting.

The design is conducive to the technological advances that have been made in education, creating real-life situations students in the School of Education will experience in the future.

The renovation shows “we’re a leader in technology, offering the best education we can,” Mattingly said.

Achter said scape classrooms are now a part of the building, allowing students to prepare to become teachers and there is no other classroom of the sort around here.

Sam Stagg, the architect from Haila Architecture Structure Planning, said technology is one of the primary components for the School of Education.

“The technology also demands flexibility, so we made sure the technological needs can always be met regardless of what the architecture did, so we worked hard at maintaining a strong sense of flexibility in the classrooms,” Stagg said.

The building now has a more open feel with the increased number of windows, open space and bright colors used to make the space feel more welcoming. The windows also allow the people inside the building to see the iconic Lagomarcino courtyard.

One of the main goals of the design was to include many spaces that would allow students and faculty to meet casually or hold conferences, Achter said.

There were many contributors to the design. Achter and the School of Education directors were the connection between the School of Education and Haila Architecture Structure Planning.

Stagg said he, Eric Vermeer and Art Baumgartner were on the design team for Lagomarcino Hall from Haila Architecture.

Stagg and Vermeer earned their degrees in architecture at Iowa State.

Achter said the renovation could not have occurred without the help in funding from Dean White and the Provost.

Faculty, staff and students that are part of the School of Education now officially have a new and improved place to call their campus home, and it is easy to sense their enthusiasm.

“I don’t know if there are words to describe how I feel because it’s such a wonderful feeling to walk in here every day and to see students and professors excited about having a nice area,” Achter said.