Smith took the reins of a department built over nearly two decades by founding director Vania Jerome. Smith oversees the development of theater, dance, and music across all grades at Maui Prep. She serves as the director of theatrical productions and leads acting and dance instruction for Middle and Upper School students, while teaching dance to every Lower School student. 

 

Smith moved quickly to build a cohesive and specialized department. She brought on Musical Director and Drama Teachers Mrs. Sarah Gowans, alongside ukulele and percussion instructor Mr. Reuben Pali, aligning the program under a unified vision built on three core pillars: Dance, Theater, and Music. Together, the team is shaping a structured, K–12 Performing Arts curriculum, program, and experience grounded in both creativity and rigor.

 

Smith hit the ground running by licensing Matilda the Musical JR for the November production. To give the hopeful cast of nearly 30 Middle and Upper School students a professional experience, Smith and Gowans conducted auditions via video submissions. They carefully reviewed each audition, moving names around until the cast was set. Because the production is ensemble-heavy, students without title roles were relied upon to carry the show through demanding dance numbers and constant on-stage presence.

 

The production required masterclass-level organization to navigate the school schedule. Since Middle and Upper School elective blocks meet separately, Smith utilized extensive planning—and a few non-school day rehearsals—to circumvent scheduling conflicts. The interest in participating in the production was so overwhelming that Principal Ryan Kirkham rearranged the Middle School quarterly elective block plan to allow for more students to participate.

 

As a Performing Arts educator, Smith devoted classroom time to character development. By encouraging them to invent back stories, their performances were so much more than reciting lines and perfecting choreography. 

 

Ashley Davis ’27 noted, “Mrs. Smith really focused on the foundations of performing, making sure the whole cast understood the character development and music theory. She taught us how to portray that on the stage, and I think the audience was really able to see that.”

 

Smith also designed and oversaw construction of the set, executed by a dedicated “X-Block” course where 30 students spent weeks painting and constructing props. Twice weekly, the students brought her vision to life: painting cardboard in vibrant rainbow hues before slicing them into shapes resembling the spines of vintage books. Beyond the artistry, the class gained practical production experience by pricing costumes, collecting sizing data, and constructing essential props for the play.

 

Her leadership quickly reached beyond the Maui Prep campus. Smith secured a partnership with Treecovery Lahaina, which funded the transportation of 300 students from King Kamehameha III Elementary to a special dress rehearsal – a vital gift of entertainment for a community still recovering from the 2023 wildfires. The response was overwhelming. Live theater and entertainment remain scarce on the Westside, making the performance a vital community event. The visiting students later sent enthusiastic thank you notes filled with illustrations of their favorite scenes. 

 

The show eventually played to three sold-out audiences with record breaking ticket sales, culminating in the cast recording their tracks with professional sound engineer Ua Maji. The production’s reach even extended beyond campus and into local media: Matilda JR made the front page of Maui News, which ran a full-page feature spotlighting the students’ talent.

 

“One of the beautiful things about live theater is that it is truly living and breathing,” Smith says.  “Occasionally things don’t go exactly as planned: costumes can get misplaced, microphones can be temperamental, students might forget a line. These moments are all part of the live theater experience.”

 

Theater has a unique way of broadening horizons, and offers a perspective that extends well beyond the final curtain call. “It’s incredibly special to portray a character with a completely different life story and point of view from your own,” notes Davis ‘27.  “For me, that fosters a deeper empathy and understanding of others. Playing characters with different beliefs helps you understand people better and translate that empathy into your personal life.”

 

Turning her attention to the Lower School, Smith reinvented the production model. Historically, the Lower School production functioned as an afterschool program. While convenient for scheduling, the extracurricular timing precluded many students with outside commitments from participating in such a formative experience. 

 

In an effort to give every student the opportunity to participate in musical theater, Smith reimagined the model to be fully inclusive: she integrated rehearsals directly into the weekly Performing Arts blocks, allowing every student from Kindergarten through 5th grade to participate during the school day. This shift was groundbreaking for the program, marking the first time Kindergarten and 1st grade students were invited to take part in a theater production.

By strategically casting students from the same classrooms to share scenes, Smith maintained logistical bubbles while creating a massive, “ocean-wide” ensemble. The result was a resounding success; the students rose to the occasion, and students and parents expressed delight at the new inclusive, compulsory format.

 

Lyndee Sprenger, mother of Kalli ’32 and Kieva ’35, saw firsthand the metamorphosis that accompanied her daughters taking the stage. “For me, the best part was that Kalli is learning stage presence and learning to slow down, while Kieva is building confidence and continuing to grow out of her shell.” Sprenger would never have compelled her daughters to be in productions as they did not fit into their busy afterschool schedule, but now is fully invested in Maui Prep Arts programs. “At Maui Prep, the encouragement the kids get makes them feel like real artists at all times. When they feel like artists and grow in confidence, they want to try new things.”

 

 

Beyond the major musicals, the program remains tireless. From 4th graders memorizing the Gettysburg Address to an Interim experience where Middle and Upper School students rehearsed and filmed two music videos in just three days (cut down from the planned five because of power outages and weather), the department is defined by resilience.

 

“The show must go on” is more than a cliché at Maui Prep; it is a lesson in confidence. Smith continues to look towards the future: she plans to expand the curriculum to focus on community-facing performances and guest artists. This includes increasing performance opportunities for the annual Halloween, Holiday Highlights, and Arts Night showcases, to name a few. The goal is to provide students with meaningful exposure to diverse practices, perspectives, and professional pathways within the Performing Arts. 

 

“There have been so many amazing things with our kids being at Maui Prep, especially their confidence and the amount of genuine encouragement that comes from the teachers,” noted Sprenger. 

Under Smith’s leadership, the stage is set for a new era of artistic excellence at Maui Prep. “What we’re building goes far beyond performance—it’s about developing confident young people who take risks, make stronger choices, and believe in their ability to contribute,” Smith passionately explains.  “When students know someone is invested in them—guiding them, challenging them, and championing their growth—their potential expands in powerful ways. That’s where the real impact of the arts lives.”