Wilkes Community
College holds 17“’
Dental Assistant
Pinning
By Art Menius
The Wilkes Community College Dental Assisting Pro
gram presented pins to fourteen graduates during its 17*
annual pinning ceremony at 7:00 PM on Friday, August
5, at the Pit Auditorium in Thompson Hall. The pins
signified successful completion of the one year diploma
level program. Delilah Christie, Amanda Church, Sara
Roten, Cassie Staley, and Julie Triplett earned the Top
Clinic Team Award. During their WCC clinical rotation,
the team achieved a 94% efficiency rating. Ms. Lolly
Johnson, representing the Blue Ridge Dental Assisting
Society and Proctor & Gamble, presented the Patient
Care Award to Amanda Church and the Outstanding
Chairside Assistant Award to Jessica Dagenhart. Guest
speaker Dr. Brad Shinaman, a general dentist from
North Wilkesboro, presented the Scholarship Achieve
ment Award to Cassie Staley on behalf of the Blue
Ridge Dental Society.
Dr. Harry Baldwin opened the program with the invoca
tion. Larry Taylor, chairperson of the Health Sciences
Division at Wilkes Community College, extended the
welcome with WCC President Dr. Gordon Burns greet
ing the attendees. Martha Townes, lead instructor of
Dental Assisting, recognized the faculty and staff that
support the program and the more than forty dental of
fices that serve as affiliating clinical sites.
Brenda Bryson of the Health Sciences Division an
nounced each graduate as Martha Townes and Lynn
Clayton presented the pins. The majority of the gradu
ates have also successfully passed the national exams to
be Certified Dental Assistants. Priti Patel, president of
the Dental Assisting Club, gave class acknowledgments
before Dr. Keith Bentley closed with a benediction.
Besides Christie, Church, Roten, Staley, Patel, Triplett,
and Dagenhart, the 2005 Dental Assisting graduates
included Renea Anderson, Brandy Bowen, Meleah
Gambill, Amber Keever, Sheena Payne, Molly Plow
man, and Christina Saxon. The Dental Assisting fac
ulty for 2005 consisted of Dr. Harry Baldwin, Dr.
Keith Bentley, Dr. Larry Cook, Dr. John Cox, Dr.
Mona Currin, Dr. Eric Grimes, Dr. Wayne Hollar, Dr.
Dean Powell, Dr. Emily Ruda, Dr. Brad Shinaman
Lynn Clayton, Carol Gregory, Jennifer Hastings, and
Martha Townes.
•v
Dental Assisting Graduates: Front row, L-R: Brandy
Bowen, Amber Keever, Christina Saxon, Sheena
Payne, Meleah Gambill, Priti Patel, and Molly Plow
man. Second row, L-R: Amanda Church, Renea
Anderson, Delilah Christie, Cassie Staley, Julie
Triplett, Sara Roten, and Jessica Dagenhart.