Lower Grades
Snowma Smith
1st Grade Teacher
Snowma has been teaching at SunRidge since 2021, bringing her passion for public Waldorf education into the classroom each day. With a background in positions like classroom aid and school librarian she has found a home in the balanced, student centered approach found in the public Waldorf movement. Snowma holds a B.S. in French from San Francisco State University and a California Multi Subject Teaching Credential from Sonoma State University. She believes in the power of nurturing the whole child—head, heart, and hands, within a school setting that fosters connection between children, their families and school staff.
Prior to joining SunRidge Charter School, she taught at Guerneville Elementary, where she treasured the experience of being a part of a rich ecosystem of community. Her teaching approach is rooted in fostering childrens’ appreciation for story, song and language. As a dancer, she brings a love of movement and rhythm to the classroom.
Outside the classroom, Snowma enjoys taking walks with her husband and daughter, knitting, reading historical fiction and spending time in Sonoma County nature, which often inspires activities and stories shared with her students.
Heather Colby-Sereano
2nd Grade Teacher
Ms. Colby-Sereano has been a dedicated member of the SunRidge School community since 2004, when her twins, Hayden and Athena, joined the fourth grade class. She began as a class parent in Dianne Namkung’s class, served as a substitute teacher and had a few job-share positions before joining the faculty as a full time teacher at SunRidge in 2010. She has been a class teacher ever since. Her love for teaching and deep connection to the Waldorf community have guided her continued presence at SunRidge ever since.
Before settling into her role at SunRidge, Ms. Colby-Sereano earned a BA in Art and then a California Multi-Subject Clear Teaching Credential at Sierra Nevada University in 1991; and later studied with three Waldorf educational programs. She also has a rich background in physical fitness and horseback riding. She spent many years teaching fitness classes and working as a personal trainer, and from a young age was immersed in the sport of horse vaulting—gymnastics on horseback. This unique experience instilled in her a strong sense of teamwork, discipline, and spatial awareness. She competed throughout California and Europe, and later coached a youth vaulting team and served as a camp counselor and vaulting instructor for 4 summers during high school.
Outside of school, Ms. Colby-Sereano enjoys spending time with her blended family and many pets. She and her husband, Dan, have six grown children between them and currently care for three dogs and two cats. They spend weekends remodeling their 1970s home and enjoying their full and joyful life together.
Ms. Colby-Sereano loves the warm and community-oriented atmosphere at SunRidge and feels grateful every day to be part of such a meaningful school community.
Emily Husar
3rd Grade Teacher
Emily Husar was born and raised in Sebastopol and is proud to call it home once again after living in Alaska for eight years. She attended the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at Sonoma State University and later studied at St. Mary’s College of California. Emily completed her teacher training through the Be A Teacher Intern Program at the North Coast School of Education.
Emily brings a wide range of teaching experience, having worked with Special Education students from Pre-K through post-high school, Multilingual Learners, and students in mixed-age classrooms. Her background includes teaching in Montessori, Waldorf, and Alternative Education programs.
Emily is passionate about building strong relationships with her students and colleagues. She also brings warmth, patience, and flexibility to her work. Emily has a creative spirit, enjoys integrating art into the classroom.
Emily is a mother of two teenage daughters. Her husband also grew up in the Santa Rosa area. She enjoys spending her free time playing board games, exploring nature, and spending time with family and friends.
Dolly Oberti
4th Grade Teacher
Dolly has been teaching at SunRidge School since 2010, bringing her passion for child development, integrated arts education, and Waldorf-inspired teaching to the classroom each day. With a background in Waldorf teacher training from the Center of Renewal at Summerfield Waldorf School, a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on Child Development from Sonoma State University, and a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Dolly believes in nurturing the whole child—head, heart, and hands.
Prior to joining SunRidge, she taught in Waldorf-inspired settings throughout California, where she gained experience in nature-based learning, collaborative classroom culture, and developmentally aligned curriculum. Her teaching approach is rooted in fostering curiosity, cultivating empathy, and supporting each child’s unfolding inner capacities through hands-on learning, story, movement, and the arts.
Outside the classroom, Dolly enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, painting, and spending time with her family. Her love of the natural world and the arts often finds its way into the classroom, inspiring creative projects and meaningful connections to the curriculum.
She feels deeply grateful to be part of the SunRidge School community and to accompany her students on their path of growth, discovery, and independence.
Austin Menard 5th Grade Teacher
Austin Menard comes to teaching with a rich and varied range of interests and expertise, and strives to bring that curiosity and depth into his teaching practice. He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University. He carries additional certifications as a Permaculture Designer, Wilderness EMT, and California Naturalist.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C. in a family that spans cultures, traditions, and identities, Austin has also called New York City, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Italy, Japan, the Bay Area, and Joshua Tree home before settling in Sonoma County. What stays with him from all of it is a deep ease with difference and a genuine curiosity about people; building strong relationships based on respect and understanding are at the core of his teaching practice.
A multi-instrumental musician, polyglot, former chef and cooking instructor, amateur mycologist, and enthusiastic player of board games and tabletop RPGs, Austin has always been drawn to pursuits that reward curiosity and demand genuine engagement. Equally at home running a scenic trail with his pup as he is diving deeply into an imaginary world at a table with friends, he carries that same spirit of active, joyful participation into the classroom.
Austin is thrilled to join the SunRidge community and hopes to build a classroom where curiosity is taken seriously, intellectual risk-taking is encouraged, and every student feels warmly and individually supported.