Rauner celebrates 'innovative' program at Bloomingdale middle school

Gov. Bruce Rauner met with students Friday at Stratford Middle School in Bloomingdale as a reward for a video created by one of the school's teachers.

Rauner spoke with eighth-graders at the school, answered questions, and even took a selfie with some students in the hallway.

The winning video was created by Stratford specialized academic classroom teacher Rachel Falk about her class project called Cafe 121. The project is a cafe-based work skills experience where students learn hands-on work skills as well as communication, teamwork and social skills that will benefit them in the workforce.

Falk entered the video in the Governor Classroom Visit competition that included videos from across the state.

The governor told students the contest is designed to celebrate "innovative ways that students are learning and teachers are teaching," and Stratford's Cafe 121 program is a prime example of both.