Summer 2022 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 5 grandchildren.
Tori Augusta (she/her) - Program Coordinator/Office Manager: Tori is a practicing artist and has worked with children for over 10 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 partner and five year old son, and enjoys making art and going thrifting.
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.
Katie Antonitis (she/her)-Administrative Assistant-Logistics: Katie loves to be part of the creative SMARTS Program! She has been involved with the program for 20 years as a supportive wife of a veteran teacher!
Katie has been working with children for most of her life as either a babysitter, camp counselor, computer teacher and is working as an Administrative Assistant at North Attleboro High School. Even though she graduated from UMASS Dartmouth with a BS in Business Administration, she loves working in a school setting!
Being a Mom is Katie's favorite role to date and she loves the quirky and fun adventures of parenthood!
TEACHING ARTISTS
Pete Tarsi (he/him) – Creative Writing Teacher: Pete holds a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing and Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts. He has just published his sixth Young Adult, his third under a pen name along with his popular "Flipping the Scales" trilogy published under his own name. Pete has been teaching physics for twenty-five years at Attleboro High School, where he is also the after-school Drama Coach. During his time there, he has world premiered four of his own original plays. His one-act play "Tracks" has been published by the Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois--one of the three largest play catalogs in the country--and ranked in the top ten most produced short plays by high schools in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years. Pete has three awesome daughters, who all participated in the SMARTS Summer Institute.
Seth Antonitis (he/him)- Percussion Teacher: Seth has been assisting and teaching percussion at the SMARTS Summer Institute for 20 years. He began drumming 20 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.
Claire Munley (she/her) - Visual Arts Teacher: Claire is a practicing artist and has been working with children and teens in the arts for over 9 years. Being her first year with SMARTS, she's excited to bring her passion for painting, drawing, printmaking, textile design, and other media to the program. Earning a BFA in Art Education from UMass Dartmouth in 2014, followed by an MAE in 2020, she's always trying to learn new things to bring to the table. She enjoys spending sunny afternoons in her at-home studio, painting or sewing, accompanied by her cats Mona Lisa and Moose.
Autumn Cabral (she/her/hers)- Dance Teacher: Autumn Cabral is a rising sophomore at Emmanuel College and is majoring in biology. She has been dancing since she was three and began teaching in 2020. She has worked with children from K through 8 and fell in love with choreographing while also helping her students to gain more confidence with self-expression. Outside of the studio, she enjoys laying out in the sun, going for bike rides, and listening to music. Being her first year with SMARTS, she is excited to share her passion for dance and movement while also gaining more experience with teaching.
Brooke Papineau - Drama/Musical Theatre Teacher
GROUP LEADERS/ GROUP LEADER ASSISTANTS
Zoe Morgenweck (she/her): Zoe is an aspiring teacher and former SMARTS student. She loves to paint, draw, and do many other forms of art. Zoe was raised in Rehoboth, MA and attends Dighton-Rehoboth High school. She is a huge fan of Broadway, and loves working in the drama department. She has been in her high school marching band for three years. She can’t wait to share her experience and learn even more this summer!
Gabrielle Ready (she/they): Gabrielle was born and raised in Dighton MA and is a sophomore in high school at Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School. She is currently obtaining a certificate in Early Childhood Education and hopes to be a child psychologist after college. You can typically find them reading mystery novels, writing short stories, or making art in their free time.
Matthew Wright: My name is Matthew Wright, and for the past five years up until last summer I have gone to SMARTS camp. Every time it was an amazing experience and I am excited to return to that environment!
Sean Brumble: Sean is a recent graduate of Mansfield High School and is attending Dean College in the fall majoring in Early Childhood Education. This is his second year working at SMARTS. Sean was born in Attleboro and raised in Mansfield, Massachusetts. He is passionate about working with children and having a positive impact in their lives. Sean is a Black Belt in Karate and is currently training for his First Degree Black Belt in Krav Maga. When Sean is not at SMARTS, he enjoys photography, music, Legos, bike riding, movies, and video games.
Wren Seccareccia: Hi, my name is Wren. I am 17 years old. I am an incoming senior at Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School. I love art and hope to be an art therapist. I have taken 7 art classes in high school. I was born in Rumford, RI but I moved to Rehoboth,MA when I was a child. I am very excited to be a part of the SMARTS team this summer.
Cyronis Vu (They/Them) - I’ve always admired the arts, specifically music and graphic motion/design. I’ve been playing the piano for over 8 years now and have been animating for about 3-4 years (as a hobby). I recently just started singing in the school choir, and I love it! I currently attend Attleboro High School, and my favorite subjects are music and philosophy. In my spare time I like to try new niche hobbies and go out with friends, whether that be shopping or otherwise.
Madison Durrick: Hi, my name is Maddy. I’m going to be a college freshman at Clark University in the fall. I love animals. I have three dogs! I love drawing, painting and all kinds of crafts. I’m super excited to meet everyone this summer!
Kate Brien (She/her) : My name is Kate and I am entering my Junior year at Attleboro High School. I have a passion for art in all its forms and I am excited to share what I know with you! In the past, I have worked at Camp Finberg as a counselor. I also worked at the Imaginorium during Harry Potter/Dragons week! My favorite type of art is a tie between traditional pencil and digital. You can usually find me working on character design! My hobbies include drawing, reading as much as I can, and cross-stitch. I enjoy working with children because they have the BEST imaginations and inspire me everyday to be a more creative artist!
Jay Bozzi (he/him)- Jay is a graduating senior at Attleboro High School and spent a few years in the smarts program. He has been very passionate about art, music, and writing his whole life and is an aspiring art teacher. While not at SMARTS Jay likes to draw and make music.