SMARTS
Summer 2025 SMARTS Staff
ADMINISTRATION
Sherye Weisz (she/her) - Executive/Artistic Director: Sherye has been involved in the arts and education for over thirty-five years. Growing up in Providence, RI, Sherye took classes at Rhode Island School of Design, was a company member of the nationally known Looking Glass Theatre Company, played flute in state-wide groups and continued her creative pursuits at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York; Emerson College, Boston; and University of Calgary, Alberta. Sherye has been executive/artistic director of SMARTS since 1988. She was on the faculty of Lesley University, Cambridge, MA in the Creative Arts in Learning graduate program for 15 years and was president & artistic director of The UnCommon Theatre Company, a local regional children’s theatre, for 18 years. Sherye is also an educational consultant, providing regional school districts with long and short-term in-service programs that address strategies to enhance student learning through STEAM, integrated arts curriculum and assessment design. She served on the Fine Arts Advisory Council to the MA Commissioner of Education for 6 years and was a member of the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education for many years and is currently on the board of Arts|Learning. Sherye’s greatest joys come from her husband Jim of 42 years, her 3 children and her 6 grandchildren.
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Tori Augusta (she/her) - Program Director/Office Manager: Tori is a practicing artist and has worked with children for over 15 years. She has been with SMARTS since early 2016. She graduated from UMass Dartmouth in 2012 with a BFA in Design/Photography. Tori was born and raised in Mansfield, MA and is passionate about arts in our community. When Tori is not at SMARTS she spends her time with her husband and 8 year old son, and enjoys making art and going thrifting.
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Josh Weisz-Smith: Assistant Program Director: Josh is a Spanish teacher and the World Language Department head at Rogers High School in Newport, Rhode Island. After receiving his Bachelors in Spanish and Education from the University of Rhode Island, he started his career teaching music and English at a nursery school in Chile. He went on to gain teaching experience in Mexico, Block Island, and Middletown, RI, before settling into his current position in Newport. Josh started his SMARTS journey as a student in the Elementary Program back in the early 90's, made his way up to the Senior Music Program playing guitar and bass, and then became a summer counselor while in High School. Whether he is teaching abroad or in the Spanish classroom, Josh always brings his passion for music and the arts into his practice. He has performed acoustic sets throughout South County, Rhode Island, though he now devotes all of his free time to his three children and wife... camping, biking, gardening, and living life to the fullest!
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Alan Clavette (he/him) - Administrative Assistant: Alan teaches music at Studley Elementary School in Attleboro. He earned his Bachelors in Music Education at the University of New Hampshire and his Masters of Arts in Teaching at Bridgewater State University. He is a native of North Attleboro, Massachusetts and attended the SMARTS Cabaret Program for several years. Alan is a returning SMARTS veteran teacher after taking a break for some years and is super excited for this summer.
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Jackson Burt - Before & After Care Supervisor: Jackson has worked at 2 other summer camps for the past 10+ years. He has facilitated arts programs and leadership programs always making sure to make each day of summer count! His favorite hobbies are writing stories, sewing different fabric projects or designing magic wands! He is very excited to help out this summer and cannot wait to meet all the new happy faces!
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​TEACHING ARTISTS
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Seth Antonitis (he/him)- Percussion Teacher: Seth has been assisting and teaching percussion at the SMARTS Summer Institute for 22 years. He began drumming 25 years ago, mastering several percussion instruments in the process. He is a longstanding member of the Rhythm Room under bandleader Rick Morin and is a freelance musician and private lesson teacher. Seth’s method of teaching centers on passing down knowledge in a fun, interesting, and energetic fashion. Seth earned his BA in Philosophy from The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
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Claire Munley (she/her) - Visual Arts Teacher: Claire is a returning SMARTS visual art teacher that enjoys painting, printing, and playing with lots of different kinds of art materials. Claire teaches high school in Uxbridge during the regular school year, and spends her weekends in Providence at AS220 as a Community Studios member. Claire is excited to bring art history and her passions for all types of art making to your creative SMARTS students this summer!
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Michael Konnerth: General Music Teacher: Michael has been a music educator and conductor in the southern New England area for over fifteen years. He currently serves as a music director and pit orchestra conductor for three Rhode Island based theater companies. In addition, he also does freelance pit orchestra conducting for other groups around the area including shows such as Little Women, Godspell, Suessical, and Carrie. As a music educator, Mike is director of bands at Norton High School, where he cultivates a sense of community, compassion, and personal responsibility. He looks forward to sharing his love of music with SMARTS.
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​Kate Seavey (she/her) Drama Teacher: Kate has been teaching for the last 17 years, and has been passionate about performance since early childhood. An avid performer since 4th grade, her favorite roles include Ms. Hannigan in "Annie," Polly Baker in "Crazy for You," and Don John in "Much Ado About Nothing." She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and a Masters degree in English Education from Lesley University. Starting her career in Montessori schools, with a deep belief in using creativity, student directed, and project based learning, she taught ages 3-12 for the first 7 years of her career. Her deepest passion, though, throughout all of this, has been in the magic of storytelling through performance and Theater. For the last decade, this has brought her to teaching Middle and High School English and Theater. She loves allowing students to grow their confidence and literacy skills by bringing stories to life on stage--whether in front of their classmates or in front of their school. She is thrilled to bring this love of Theater closer to her home of Attleboro by joining the SMARTS program this summer!
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Liza Riolo - (she/her) Creative Writing Teacher: Liza is excited to be joining the Summer Institute team this year! She has been teaching for almost twenty years as both a world language educator and as a multilingual learner educator. Ms. Riolo has facilitated the creation of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction writing in a variety of languages, including Latin, French, and English. In addition, she has a good understanding and working knowledge of the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese languages. Along with her love of languages, Ms. Riolo also appreciates learning more about the world around us via her passion for travel and via her attendance at cultural events throughout the New England area.
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​​​​​​​Natalie Brennan - Dance Teacher: Natalie has always had a passion for dance ever since she was three years old. She started being an assistant teacher when sbe was 13 years old and then began helping with choreography along with creating her own dances. After she graduated high school she attended Dean college and got her bachelors degree in dance. While studying at Dean, she had the opportunity to do her internship at the Boston Ballet school which was an amazing opportunity and got to work with so many different kinds of children. She cannot wait to work with everybody and have fun this summer!
Liz Woodbury (She/Hers) - Creative Expressions Teacher: Liz has been an interdisciplinary arts teacher for over 15 years. Most recently, she was the integrated and performing arts teacher at the Sage School in Foxboro. Liz has worked with students from early childhood to the college level. She earned a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Master’s in Education from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. In addition to her work at the Sage School and with SMARTS Liz is an Executive Function Coach with FA Learning Solutions. At the heart of her teaching and coaching approach is student centered choice and asset based foundations. Liz prides herself in the connections she makes with her students and the mutual impact such relationships create. In addition to her time in the classroom, Liz has also worked in the non-profit and health and human service sectors, adding to her breadth of knowledge and experience. Liz has presented at both state and national conferences on topics such as public speaking and the intersection of social justice and arts education. Liz is also a writer and artist and loves spending time with her husband and their dogs, Tinsley and Chelsea and their cat Reese.
GROUP LEADER TEAM & TEACHER ASSISTANTS
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Annabell Marchetti: Dance Assistant
This summer Ill be an incoming senior at Attleboro High, i'm very active in their drama club and mock trial team and I am also a competitive dancer and i've been dancing since I was 6! Ive both directed and participated in many productions my whole life and Im super excited for a great summer!
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​Kai Dixon: Art Room Assistant: Hey, I’m Kai! I’m currently a sophomore at Dartmouth High School. I’ve been heavily involved with the arts since a young age, starting with drawing and eventually branching off into other areas. I’ve been involved with theater and music for about 6 years now, and have maintained an artistic passion towards visual arts (such as drawing, painting, and photography) for as long as I can remember. I’m very excited to be working with everyone this summer! :)
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Greeshma Sasidharan: Greeshma Sasidharan is a Civil Engineer and a trained Classical Dancer. Greeshma is from India (Kerala) and has lived in MA for 2.5 years. She enjoys arts, crafts, music, dance and working with young children. Greeshma worked at the 2023-2025 SMARTS Winter and Summer Institutes where her young daughter also participated. She is super excited to meet everyone this summer
Matthew Wright: Matthew is working as a group leader for his fifth year! He currently attends Stonehill College where he studies performing arts and education. He is excited to start working this summer!
Taina Ledesma (Any Pronouns): Taina Ledesma (Aka Tea) is a 2025 Attleboro High School graduate, who is planning on attending SalemState University in September with a BA in Graphic Design. They have a love for music ever since they were little, even though they do not play anyinstruments, she can give you a TON of song recommendations. Finding comfort in art, they decided that's the path they wanted to take. I love artand music, both can 100% let a person express themselves however they want. :) This will be my 2nd year at SMARTS!
Sherryssah Lafume: Hi, my name is Sherryssah and I am currently enrolled at UMass Dartmouth and I am majoring in illustration. This will be my third year at smarts and I am super excited to come back and share what I've learned!
Janessa Ipina is 20 years old, She loves doing arts and crafts and can’t wait to start at SMARTS this summer!
Cecilia Montgomery (“Cece”) is an incoming high school junior and a long-time camper at SMARTS Collaborative (since age 5)! A passionate lover of the stage and all the arts, she's overjoyed to serve her second year as a group leader. Cece is also a Girl Scout Senior, a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), a Student Ambassador (BPSA), the Student Council Class Secretary at her high-school. She boasts 10+ of experience in theater and dance, and 5+ of vocal training. She thrives helping kids find the same passion, love, and sense of community she did when attending SMARTS summer institute. She is so excited to reunite with familiar faces and make brand new friends this 2025 season!
Joscelyn Fernandez: Hi, I’m Joscelyn I am 15 years old and currently a sophomore at Attleboro High School. Some things I enjoy are spending time with my friends and family, dancing, and shopping. I love it inspire young mind in a positive way and hope to make a positive impact on the younger generations. I can’t wait to have so much fun this summer!
Piper Bernard: I am an incoming freshman at Attleboro High, some of the arts I enjoy participating in include music, such as playing clarinet for 4 years as well as just starting cello lessons and being in several productions by Triboro Youth Theater. I enjoy being in leadership positions and working with my peers such as being the active treasurer of Brennan Middle Schools' National Junior Honor Society and similarly a current officer of the student council. I can't wait to work with children because I want to help create the wonderful experience that I have experienced myself being a past camper.
Rachel Canuel: I attended SMARTS when I was a kid and loved the experience. The kids and staff I met there were so incredibly nice. In my future I intend on working with elementary students. The reason why I want to do that is because of last summer at SMARTS. The kids were so fun and amazing. I hope that we can have more fun this summer!
Jaliyah Baker: My name is Jaliyah, I'm a senior in high school and going to college for psychology after graduation. I worked for SMARTS last summer and had a great time. I look forward to starting again this summer!
Ethan Morales: I am Ethan Morales, preferably just Morales. I have always had a passion for the arts, both visual and performance. I play the violin and have participated in a variety of theater productions, working with people of many ages.
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Layla Turcotte: Layla just finished her freshman year of high school. She has been a camper at SMARTS for a long time and is excited to continue coming as a group leader!
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