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.
Tori Augusta (she/her) - Program Director/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 husband and 8 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.
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!
TEACHING ARTISTS
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.
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!
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.
Kate Seavey (she/her) Drama Teacher: 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!
Nicole Laliberte - Dance Teacher
GROUP LEADERS
Matthew Wright: Matthew is now working as a group leader for his fourth year! He currently goes to school at Stonehill College, where he is learning to be an educator. He is very excited to return this summer!
Greeshma Sasidharan: Greeshma Sasidharan is a Civil Engineer and a trained Classical Dancer. Greeshma is from India (Kerala) and has lived in MA for 1.5 years. She enjoys arts, crafts, music, dance and working with young children. Greeshma worked at the 2023 SMARTS Winter Institute where her young daughter also participated. She is super excited to meet everyone this summer !!
Sherryssah Lafume (She,Her): Sherryssah Lafume is a 2024 graduate from Attleboro High School. She will be attending Umass Dartmouth to major in Illustration to continue to grow her passion in art.This will be her second year at SMARTS!
Cecilia Montgomery: (she/her) Cecilia (but you can call her “Ceci”) is going to be sophomore next year at Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in Taunton, MA with a concentration in Dental. She is very excited to return to SMARTS this summer as a group leader after attending as a camper since he age of 6! It’s no secret that over the years she has developed a passion for all things ARTS related. She completed 5 theatrical productions JUST in the past school year. She has taken dance instruction in tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and ballet for 14 years and is currently taking voice and guitar lessons. She loves how the arts gives countless opportunities to express one’s own unique creativity.
Annabell Marchetti: Is currently a sophomore/incoming junior at Attleboro High School and a part of the criminal justice program. She has been dancing for 10 years and in that time she has done acro, jazz, musical theater, tap, ballet, contemporary, and modern. She was recently made a Spirit of Dance Awards ambassador! She has also been doing theater for around 8 years now doing both musicals and straight plays. She loves performing arts because I think performing makes people grow their confidence and creativity in ways that they otherwise wouldn't be able to!
Arisha Gupta
Jaliyah Baker