SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Students at South Tahoe High School have some amazing opportunities to explore careers and learn from highly experienced professionals in the many Career & Technical Education (CTE) pathways offered to students.  Students learn real-world skills and training in classic courses such as Construction & Engineering, Automotive Diagnosis & Repair, Culinary Arts & Baking, as well as new & innovative pathways such as Sports Medicine, Dental Assisting, Exercise Science, Environmental Science (Forestry & Natural Resources), and digital art courses such as Digital Photography, Digital Art Design, and Video Production & Broadcast.

CTE Dental Assisting

The Dental Assisting program has become a mainstay in the South Lake Tahoe Community.  For several years, Liz Ferguson (Director of Dental Assisting for STHS and LTCC and certificated RDA) has been developing the CTE Dental Assisting program into a major pipeline of workers within the local dental community for the past seven years.  As our staff at STHS likes to brag, if visit a local dentist, you just may come in contact with a dental assistant who graduated from STHS with a CTE certification.  Some have even continued their education and become hygienists.

The Dental Assisting classes are already deep into their training.  Using state-of-the-art equipment and exam rooms in the high school, students are becoming familiar with real-life employment scenarios and tools of the trade.  The class itself is organized around the tools of a dental office. By the end of the three levels of classes, the students will have a Radiation Safety Certificate, Infection Control Certificate, and a Coronal Polish Certificate.  Overall they will accrue 500 hours of clinical experience, lab work, and didactic hours.  Mrs. Ferguson compiled this expectation to meet standards after working in a dental office for 12 years.

The students, once approved and certificated, are sent into the community for externships.  Each student completes a 50-hour externship at a community dentist’s office.  This experience can be enlightening and motivating.  With a dose of real-life experience, the students are ready for employment.  Currently, there are 15 Dental Assisting III students completing their 50-hour externship to be ready on May 31, and they will all be legal to work in both California and Nevada, making their certification incredibly valuable. 

Today, the students are fresh from their visit to local elementary schools to provide dental health information and resources in a Prevention Presentation.  They have gone to Sierra House Elementary and Meyers Elementary in full scrubs with the tools in hand and the information on the tips of their tongues.  The visits spread valuable information to our youth about dental health and our CTE program, while also giving our students a chance to share the information they have learned. 

This program continues to have 100 percent employment for those who successfully complete all aspects of the program, a feat that many CTE programs across the country can only hope to attain.

Additional information about the Career & Technical Education pathways at STHS can be found at www.ltusd-cte.org.

By Paul Loupe, South Tahoe High School CTE Navigator