School District U-46 employees working at the old Elgin High School need not worry if they didn’t have time for breakfast, forgot to pack a lunch or would rather stay in than go out for a meal.
Thanks to the SWEP (Secondary Work Education Program) Diner, a Central School program operating out of the Educational Services Center in Elgin, 28 students working with three teachers and four paraeducators prepare and serve an affordable menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, soups, salads, hot foods, beverages, snacks and sweets.
SWEP is one of three Central School programs. With its diner, it provides a transition for special needs students ages 18 to 22 who have completed four years of high school by blending work, classroom activities and community instruction, Central School principal Al Jasinski said.
“It’s a well-oiled machine, and it brings great joy,” Jasinski said.
Teachers Mary Gutierrez and Meghan Bulgarelli oversee the diner’s operation, training student workers, putting together a budget, purchasing food from Gordon Food Service, ordering supplies and making schedules. Dana Hoglund teaches SWEP program classes.
U-46 employees working in the building can order by phone or in person. Food can be delivered to offices or picked up at the diner. It can be paid for by cash, credit card and by setting up an account. About 350 staff members have accounts and 375 employees typically order meals during the course of a school year, officials said.
Each quarter, students rotate jobs in the diner, Gutierrez said. In addition to working in the kitchen, using the cash register and taking phone orders, students operate a beverage and pastry cart that makes its way through the building each morning.
They also deliver meals to offices and can cater for meetings held in the building.
“I love seeing the growth and independence the students develop,” Gutierrez said.
Student Stephen Stahler, 21, of Bartlett, said he’s been enjoying his time as a short order cook behind the grill.
“I like flipping burgers and chicken, and I like working with other people,” Stahler said.
Chris Galloni, 21, of South Elgin, said he likes delivering the food to staff members and having a chance to talk with them.
Stephen Stahler, 21, of Bartlett, works his shift at the SWEP Diner Wednesday, Dec. 10. The diner prepares meals and snacks for School District U-46 employees who work in the old Elgin High School Building as part of a training program for special needs students. (School District U-46)
Both young men said they may take part in additional transitional training available through other programs open to people older than 22 in an effort to land jobs in the restaurant industry.
Helping toward that goal, the SWEP program also involves classroom learning for developing math and other life skills such as personal budgeting, Hoglund said. Students earn a stipend for their work in the diner from which they can put together their own spending plans.
Galloni said he planned to use his pay during upcoming field trips to the Fox Valley Mall in Aurora and the Elgin Walmart.
“I’m going to get Christmas gifts for my family,” he said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/u46-swep-diner-training-elgin-students/
