The public had the opportunity to tour the $8 million addition on Thursday following a ribbon cutting ceremony. Roughly 70 people saw the updated classrooms for metal and wood working, agriculture, consumer sciences, chemistry and more.

Seven people from the school district, the city and the crew in charge of the project spoke at the open house. Superintendent Theron Schutte opened the ceremony and said that while not much has changed at the school since he graduated in 1981, that cannot be said for the CTE, agriculture and the science classrooms. He thanked the students and staff for persevering through the construction process and the Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) Board of Education for having the vision to make the project happen.

“It’s going to significantly impact the academic opportunities and achievements of the students,” Schutte said. ” . . . This was such a big and complex project that it just couldn’t be accomplished during the course of a summer, and it’s still kind of being finished up.”

During the construction, he said the equipment was moved to Meadow Lane Mall to allow for students to continue their lessons.

Members of the public check out the metal working classroom of the new Career and Technical Education wing at Marshalltown High School. They had the opportunity to tour the wing during an open house Thursday.

“Our kids in those programs, as well as our staff, were amazing at stepping up and doing what they had to do to make it happen,” Schutte said. “. . . Hopefully you will be very pleased by what you see today, and it will give you a glimpse of what will also be possible in a bigger way with the Reimagine Miller project if given permission on Tuesday, Nov. 5 to move forward with that.”

Board President Sean Heitmann said Thursday marked a significant milestone for not only the school district, but also the Marshalltown community.

“This facility represents our commitment to equipping our students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in an ever-changing and ever-evolving job market,” he said. “Here, students can explore various trades, engage in hands-on learning, prepare for careers that shape their futures and our economy.”

Heitmann thanked everyone involved in making the CTE wing a reality, including Travis Schwartz with Larson Construction and FEH architect Kevin Eipperle, both of whom also spoke.

MHS Principal Justin Boliver said the expansion and renovation is awesome for everyone at the school.

Marshalltown Community School District Superintendent Theron Schutte opens the ribbon cutting and open house of the high school Career and Technical Education wing. Mayor Joel Greer waits for his turn to speak to the crowd of roughly 70 attendees.

“Our community standing up for our schools, and our board’s dedication to continued growth and improvement to new and existing facilities, should be exciting for everyone in our community,” he said.

Also speaking at the ribbon cutting was Mayor Joel Greer, who told the attendees how proud he was of the school district and what the project means for the community. He said three things were identified as crucial needs for Marshalltown to move forward — housing, image and the school district.

“I have been so proud to see the diversity handled so well here and see the graduation rates going up, and facilities going in like this,” Greer said.

Closing the speeches was Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO John Hall. The Chamber has been involved in a few ribbon cuttings for the school district in the last few months, and Hall said he reflected on how important the completed projects are for recruitment of families to Marshalltown.

“Thinking about the legacy that is the Marshalltown community, and in particular the legacy industries we have here, those are built on a heritage of innovation,” he said. “Those were folks who knew how to work with their hands in order to invent new things, create new companies and build tremendous wealth not only for them but for their employees and the community. Assets like this, not only incredibly important to recruitment of new people to our community, are so incredibly pivotal for the young minds that are going to have the opportunity to learn how to work with their hands. . . Those skills will translate and be useful in the future. That’s how you get people thinking about innovation and how to invent new things, bring about change, build new things. Kudos to the school district for putting up a facility as beautiful as this.”

Marshalltown High School Principal Justin Boliver speaks at the ribbon cutting and open house of the MHS Career and Technical Education (CTE) wing on Thursday. The public was able to tour the wing from 4:30 to 6 p.m. yesterday.

Construction on the CTE wing began in May and was mostly completed last month.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.

Travis Schwartz of Larson Construction speaks a little about the process of building the new Career and Technical Education wing at the Marshalltown High School. An open house and a ribbon cutting was held late Thursday afternoon.

FEH architect Kevin Eipperle speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony and open house of the new Career and Technical Education wing at Marshalltown High School. In his brief speech, Eipperle said how glad he was to bring his years of experience back to his alma mater, as he is an MHS graduate.

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce Presisent/CEO John Hall speaks at the ribbon cutting and open house of the Marshalltown High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) wing on Thursday. The public was able to tour the wing from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday.