On Friday, November 14, Captain Amy Petrocelli of the United States Army visited Mrs. Autino’s English classes to discuss her daily work with writing and grammar in the military.
A 2017 graduate of Hauppauge High School, Captain Petrocelli earned a full ROTC scholarship to the University of Maryland at College Park. She now leads a command of soldiers in the Army’s Public Affairs Office at Fort Bragg, N.C. During her visit, she spoke with students about her editing responsibilities, which include ensuring that her soldiers’ articles are free of grammatical errors. She noted that she leads not only physical training exercises, but grammar exercises as well!
Students also learned about Captain Petrocelli’s regular communication with media outlets such as CNN, ABC, and Fox News as she reports on events at Fort Bragg. She introduced them to the Army Writing Style, a style guide that at times diverges from standard rules of writing mechanics.
Captain Petrocelli credited her writing instruction at Hauppauge with preparing her for the work she does each day. Mrs. Autino’s classes extend their gratitude to Captain Petrocelli for her service and for taking the time to speak with them.