South Cook News

Gov. Bruce Rauner got some respite from running the state and some enthusiastic students got a major audience for their artwork when Rauner visited Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor recently.

“One of my favorite things to do as governor is to visit schools all over our beloved state of Illinois,” Rauner told the students. “We are very blessed in Illinois, and you’re especially blessed at Homewood-Flossmoor. We’ve got wonderful teachers; we’ve got great teachers all around Illinois.”

Rauner's trip was part of his #GovClassroomVisit tour, an online competition he ran that encouraged schools throughout Illinois to post videos showing off their innovative and original teaching methods. Illinoisans voted for the school videos that they found to be the most inspiring, and Rauner visited the five top scorers. 

“Education is the single most important things we do together as a community,” Rauner said. “You’re very blessed here: Homewood-Flossmoor is one of the best schools anywhere in America. Go Vikings! It’s a beautiful campus, a wonderful school, but what’s really special is the students that I’ve met: so much energy and so much enthusiasm and so much talent.”

Fine Arts Department Chair Matthew Holdren submitted the school’s video, which highlighted the comprehensive arts education at the school. Holdren and other arts educators focus on using art to teach their students useful life skills and foster an appreciation for the life of a working artist. With multiple projects running concurrently and firm due dates, the students learn about time management and how to switch between tasks.

“I’m a strong believer that the arts play a fundamental role in education," Rauner said. "It’s part of our society -- what makes our communities very special.

Rauner told the students that he played the trumpet and baritone in high school and that his wife and children all play instruments. 

“There are wonderful career opportunities throughout the arts, and they’re a great way to learn and to develop our intellectual capacity," he said. "The expression that comes from art and sharing feelings and emotions through art -- it’s part of what makes us all human and the things that we share together.”

The district superintendent, school board members and other school representatives greeted Rauner, and two students escorted him on a tour, during which he saw performances of the school orchestra and a talented vocal and piano duo that performed a piece from the musical Hamilton. Rauner also helped create mosaic supplies for students’ art projects by breaking up a mirror, and visited an art class and the school’s marching band practice.

Rauner also stopped by for an interview with the school’s news program, VTV, fielding questions about his efforts to promote low-income schools, help schools balance traditional curriculum and arts education, and Chance the Rapper’s recent donation to Chicago Public Schools. He spoke about his efforts to increase funding for education in the state, put reforms in place to ensure equitable funding among schools, and remove mandates so that schools can determine what will work best for their students.

 “In the two years that I’ve been governor, I’ve traveled all over the state of Illinois, travelling to our schools, K-12, and thanking the teachers and encouraging our students," Rauner said. "Our students are our future, and everything that I do as governor is to try to make sure that we’ve got a wonderful future.”