JL

Interim Principal - Jose Libano, Ed.D.

Dr. Jose Libano started at Smithfield High School in November of 2021. Prior to joining the Sentinel community, his career as an educator included six years as a math teacher (Attleboro HS - MA, West Warwick HS - RI), four years as an assistant principal (Dighton-Rehoboth Regional HS - MA), and fourteen as a principal (Sharon HS - MA). Dr. Libano has also spent the last decade teaching and mentoring aspiring school leaders at Boston College as an adjunct professor.

In his capacity as interim principal, Dr. Libano will use his energy and experience to support both students and faculty as they navigate the opportunities and challenges that confront them each day. To that end, Dr. Libano believes it’s important to foster a safe and positive school environment, to learn from mistakes, and to define success in personal and meaningful ways.  

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Dr. Libano earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Providence College (‘96, ‘02). He also completed a doctorate in educational leadership at Boston College (‘12). A resident of Cumberland for nearly twenty years, he and his wife enjoy traveling, running/cycling, and spending time with their pet pug, Frankie.

SA

Assistant Principal - Shannon Adalio, M.Ed.

Mrs. Adalio is entering her 17th year as an educator.  She most recently held the position as Assistant Principal at Esek Hopkins Middle School in Providence.  For 12 years, Mrs. Adalio has worked as a Middle School STEM teacher, at Blackstone Valley Prep Middle School.   Mrs. Adalio is one of the 8 founding teachers of the charter school in Central Falls and knows that a nurturing and rigorous educational environment is an essential right for all students.  Adalio’s students describe her as energetic, warm hearted and funny.  Her classroom is noted as a place of comfort and hands-on engagement for her students. A driven and enthusiastic educator, Mrs. Adalio is devoted to her students at the high school level helping  support their growth and development through these important and sometimes challenging years. 

Mrs. Adalio received her Bachelor’s degree from Keene State College in New Hampshire and continued her education at Rhode Island College earning a master’s degree in Education. 

Mrs. Adalio lives in Glocester, RI  with her husband and three boys. You can catch her on a sports field during the weekends, watching her boys play soccer, baseball and tennis!  In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and  being with family and friends. Mrs. Adalio is very excited to join the Sentinel family at Smithfield High School. 

SC

Assistant Principal - Sarah Courtemanche-O'Brien, M.Ed.

Mrs. Courtemanche-O'Brien  is excited to join the  Smithfield community as one of the two assistant principals . Sarah most recently served as the Chief Officer of Teaching and Learning for the Pawtucket School Department  focused on Systems Improvement and Accountability Infrastructure. Sarah is currently enrolled in the Harvard Kennedy School for Public Policy.

Sarah holds  an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Special Education and Human Development. She also holds Multilingual, Administrative, and Superintendent certifications in both Rhode Island and Florida. Sarah has served in classrooms across K-12, the post-secondary system, and as an action researcher with Florida Atlantic University. Her body of work focused on multilingual learner language acquisition and reading strategy development. She taught abroad in Monteverde, Costa Rica with her research cohort.

 Service across states has included public policy, multilingual learner advocacy, instructional strategy /content/ leadership  coaching, Mental Health Advocacy,  and  JEDI Pedagogical Strategies. Sarah has served  as a gubernatorially appointed Governor to the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education (06-08), RI Pre-K-16 Council, Vice Chair to the RIDE MLL Council,  and as Vice President to the Sunshine State Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.  She  is  a current member of the Rhode Island School Superintendent’s Association,  Trauma Informed State Commission, Vice Chair for the state MLL Council, New England Pediatric Mental Health Network,  and a lifetime Member of Girl Scouts of Southern New England.