A tribute to educators whose commitment didn’t end when their enlistments did.
Ms. Jessica Hollinger, from Air Force Personnel Officer to Admin Assistant
Ms. Jessica Hollinger spent nine and a half years in the U.S. Air Force as a Personnel Officer, the human resources center that keeps communication smooth for an entire branch. In her time as a personnel officer, she earned a Superior Performer award during an Inspector General inspection. She deployed to Qatar and then Afghanistan in the months after September 11, 2001, a time in which the U.S. was holding its breath out of fear of another attack. Later, she taught Air Force ROTC at the University of Illinois, watching cadets that she mentored progress to become the officers they are now.
When her family needed more support, with two small children at home and her husband still serving, she transitioned out of the military. She then started anew in the education setting, first as a substitute teacher. She then progressed to a paraprofessional role, building her second career grounded in service.
One defining characteristic of Ms. Hollinger’s leadership is that she leads from the front. As the head coach of Meridian’s JV Girls Cross-Country team, she models the work ethic she expects. She constantly reminds athletes, “good things in, good things out.” Additionally, she finds integrity to be an important character trait, and strongly encourages students to, “do what’s right even when no one is watching.”
To describe her job as the MEH principal’s admin assistant as difficult is an understatement. She writes parent and staff newsletters, organizes faculty meetings and awards ceremonies, posts Schoology announcements, supports attendance, covers cafeteria duty, and makes sure there is a sufficient number of substitutes for classes. When a bus runs late or the phone system fails, she uses troubleshooting techniques to smooth out communication between teachers, coaches, and transportation, just as she had done in her military service.
One thing that Ms. Hollinger believes students should implement into their school life, from her personal learning experiences in the military, is the ability to prioritize and self-discipline.
“If you met my kids, they would tell you I have a very set order for things,” she joked.
Ms. Hollinger believes that the military can help young people find a way and provide structure in their life, and she can’t help but notice how the numbers of people applying to serve has decreased drastically since her youth.
Ms. Jerren Pittaluga, from Army Clarinetist to Biology teacher
Ms. Jerren Pittaluga served for a little over two years in the U.S. Army as a clarinetist in an Army band. Having been stationed in Germany, she performed across Europe—including Tunisia—and provided music for major World War II anniversary commemorations, where her unit earned recognition for several of their performances. Unfortunately, health challenges ultimately cut her service short, but not her desire to serve.
Even during her service, Ms. Pittaluga always wanted to be a teacher. It was her father’s Army service and her own musicianship that led her to initially take the path of the Army. The discipline and strict schedules play a huge role in her teaching style for her Biology classes today.
Shortly after leaving the military, Ms. Pittaluga was very strict, or black and white, as she had been taught in the military. Her motto was, “My way or the highway”.
After experience with high school students, her teaching style has softened into a more collaborative approach, and she gives students grace when their schedules are packed with tests and assignments.
Additionally, students can’t help but notice how organized all the materials are, with clear instructions for each lesson, and helpful agendas for big projects. This organization is due to, as Ms. Pittaluga likes to say, the old adage “hurry up and wait,” which she learned when following strict schedules in the military. This phrase refers to the process of doing your work as efficiently as possible, and having to patiently wait for the next task.
In addition to teaching Biology, Ms. Pittaluga also helps to run the aquarium program in the environmental club—a showcase space for the Falls Church district. The work is intended to be student-led, with Ms. Pittaluga providing guidelines, keeping projects on track, and letting students incorporate their ideas into projects in an organized manner.
Ms. Pittaluga believes that the practical lessons of discipline are simple and powerful: schedule your time, do each task fully, and you’ll push back procrastination before it even starts.
Even as military uniforms come off, the lesson one learns and the knowledge they gained stays by their side as a toolkit for the rest of their life. Ms. Hollinger brings precision and productive calmness to a bustling front office and a cross-country team, and Ms. Pittaluga provides detailed learning structures for her students to learn to the best of their abilities, as well as guiding the aquarium section of the environmental club.
The Lasso honors all veterans in our school community. However, The Lasso could only complete two interviews for this story, but our gratitude extends to each teacher veteran that we were unable to interview. Thank you.
