Mrs. O’Hollaren is new to Pulaski International School of Chicago this school year.  In addition to teaching technology, she is also the tech coordinator in the building handling the maintenance and organization of the technology resources.

Aside from technology, She has a strong background in art and has also been an art teacher previously.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts Education from Indiana University in 2001, and her master’s degree in Visual Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago in 2007.  She completed some of her graduate work through the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her coursework in Educational Technology through the University of San Diego.

She started her teaching career in the suburbs of Indianapolis in 2002 and found herself heading up to Chicago in 2003 to work in education for the Art Institute of Chicago.  While in graduate school she also worked at the Chicago Children’s Museum and for an educational consulting firm.  In 2008 she found herself missing the classroom, so after a 5 year hiatus from classroom teaching, she returned to teaching at a school on the southside of Chicago.  She taught Art in CPS for two years, and last year taught Digital Art at another school in CPS.  This is her fourth year teaching in the Chicago Public Schools.  She also taught for the Upward Bound Program at Columbia College for two years teaching both computer applications and digital art to high school students.  She finds herself at Pulaski this year, and is looking forward to integrating technology into the subjects that the students are learning across the curriculum.

Aside from school, she is an AVID dog lover and artist.  She is active with a variety of animal rescue organizations throughout both Illinois and Indiana.  She manages several of her own websites that are based on her pet related art.  She and her husband live in the Bucktown neighborhood, so you may see them at the local dog parks with their little pug Penny!