“Sno-Isle Launched Me into a Profession I am Passionate About”
Everett-based technical skills center prepares students for dental assisting and more.
Quick Bites
- Since 1979, Sno-Isle Technical Skills Center’s dental assisting program has been preparing local high school students for careers in dentistry.
- Approximately 50 students complete the program each school year, combining both classroom instruction and externships in local dental offices – and enter the workforce with real-world experience.
- The program also operates a discounted clinic serving patients who otherwise couldn’t afford care.
- Strong support from the Snohomish County Dental Society and local dentist volunteers helps the program continue to succeed.
“What we provide here is an amazing opportunity for students to see if the profession they have dreamed of — or are considering — is what they really want,” said Kelly Beebout, dental assistant instructor at Sno-Isle Technical Skills Center in Everett.
Beebout should know. She went through the center’s dental assisting program in 1996-97 as a high school junior, worked part-time as a sterilization technician during her senior year, and became a full-time dental assistant upon graduation. She worked in general, pediatric, and orthodontic dental offices for nearly 25 years before returning to the program as its instructor in 2022.
“Sno-Isle had launched me into a profession that I am passionate about and now I am very proud to be a teacher here to share my passion for the field. It’s a full circle, and what a blessing!” Beebout said.
Sno-Isle Technical Skills Center opened in in 1977, with its Dental Assisting Program launching two years later. Today, in addition to Dental Assisting, Sno-Isle offers programs in Cosmetology; Fashion and Marketing; Criminal Justice; Early Childhood Education; Fire Service Technology; Information Technology; Video Game Design; Veterinary Assisting; Medical and Nursing Assisting; Pharmacy Technician; Advanced Manufacturing; Aerospace Manufacturing; Diesel Mechanics; and Welding. Its Culinary Arts program even operates Le Bistro, an on-site restaurant serving students on campus and the broader community on select evenings.
Each school year, approximately 48-50 students go through the dental program, with half participating in morning sessions and the other half in the afternoon. Students spend the other half of their school days at their home high schools. The class includes strong gender and ethnic diversity, with all members looking to determine whether the dental field is their passion.
A Comprehensive Curriculum
Students make that determination after participating in a comprehensive curriculum that covers anatomy, directional references, OSHA training, HIPAA, blood-borne pathogens, sterilization and disinfection, basic life support, and oral hygiene instructions. They develop practical skills such as setting up and tearing down care stations, calling and confirming patient appointments, scheduling, charting on both paper and computer, BWX and VBX, FMX, assisting a dentist or hygienist in procedures, and coronal polishing. In short, those completing the program leave with a basic understanding of the needs in a professional dental office.
Following this in-class instruction, students spend the second half of the year participating in an externship experience at an office of their choice. Students demonstrate their preparation for the externship by creating a resume, cover letter, references, a portfolio of samples of X-rays they have taken, other work they’ve completed in class, and certificates that they have earned, such as OSHA, HIPAA and BLS.
The goal of the externship is to earn 100 hours of additional experience outside the classroom. These externships typically run from March through the end of May, and most seniors are offered a job after completing their externship.
The level of preparation of the students completing the program is recognized and appreciated by local dentists, according to Dr. Tracy DeLorm, a Lake Stevens-area dentist. DeLorm has hired several program graduates who have become “fabulous” team members in her practice. Her current student intern will head off to Lake Washington’s pre-hygiene course at the end of this summer.
Real World Experience
“The benefit of this program is getting an applicant with some knowledge of dentistry ahead of time,” DeLorm said. “I’ve trained staff from scratch to be an assistant. It’s hard to teach the language of dentistry as well as how to handle instruments and do procedures — all while seeing patients. It’s exhausting! With Sno-Isle, I have the potential of a new staff member that has a basic knowledge of dentistry, and then I can mold them into what works for me. Any time I get a new staff member, I have to train them to do things my way. I have to train them to read my mind and anticipate ahead of time. All dentists have to do that. It’s just easier when you’re working with someone that understands some of the basics.”
Dr. Greg Fjeran, a retired dentist from Mukilteo, agrees. “During my years of practice, I wasn’t associated with Sno-Isle, but I benefited from their instruction of high school students in dental assisting. I quickly discovered that most of the applicants from Sno-Isle were better trained in both their dental vocabulary and techniques than most of the graduates of private dental assisting schools in the area,” he said.
Both DeLorm and Fjeran are such strong supporters of the program — and so complimentary of Beebout’s organizational abilities – that they serve as volunteer instructors. They are among the three dentists and one hygienist who volunteer their time to teach and help promote the profession. Sno-Isle opens its clinic to the public from December to early March. The program has four fully operational chairs and provides services — including cleanings, X-rays, home care instructions, and simple restorations — to those who cannot afford dental care. Patients are asked to provide donations that they can afford in exchange for the services they receive.
According to Beebout, observing and participating in this hands-on care is a great way for students to begin experiencing real procedures before they go out into the “real clinic atmosphere.”
“Here at Sno-Isle, students are supported by our volunteer dentists, hygienists and by me. We are right by their side at all times,” she said.
According to DeLorm, being at the students’ side is both fun and rewarding. “I’ve been able to work in the clinic with the students on several occasions. It’s fun to see their nerves and then see them ‘get it’. I love teaching,” she said.
Fjeran echoes that sentiment: “It’s a fun experience when they grasp a concept and the questions that arise. They are eager to learn more. They have a certain energy that is appreciated, and after graduating from dental school over 45 years ago, it’s refreshing. I can’t say enough good things about the students enrolled at Sno-Isle.“
Strong Local Support
Sno-Isle is funded primarily through state apportionment funds provided by the high schools that send students to the program, as well as through grants pursued by each program. For the dental assisting program, the Snohomish County Dental Society (SCDS) has been one of its strongest and most consistent supporters. The local Stillaguamish Tribe has been another important supporter, Beebout said.
“They are amazing!” she said of the SCDS. “They really help keep us afloat and on top of funding through great outreach and connections within our community.”
In addition to funding and volunteer support, the dental society also occasionally steps in to help with a patient whose needs exceed what the program’s clinic can provide.
“A patient at our clinic had a severely broken and decayed tooth in the front that needed to be extracted. Through connections of our volunteers in the field and amazing local offices, the tooth was removed and a flipper was created,” she said. “The patient left so happy and excited with their new smile. Watching the students’ faces after that moment was priceless. I could see the pride they all felt about being a part of a life-changing experience for that patient.”
Beebout is working hard to ensure that more students continue to experience what she calls the “ah-ha” moments when what they’ve learned in the classroom comes to fruition in serving a patient.
Since she has been an instructor, more than 85 percent of the students who complete the program have been offered a position. Most want to continue their training to become either a hygienist or a dentist, but a handful love the assisting side. She’s also piloting a second year program to provide additional training for high school juniors who complete the initial program but can’t enter the workforce right away because they aren’t yet 18 years old.
Even those students who decide that a dental career isn’t for them get something out of the program, she added.
“A small number of students eventually decide that, no, this isn’t what they thought it would be. But when they do, they’ve saved themselves a lot of financial heartache. And for those who do decide that they love it,
well, they are way ahead of the average high school graduate who is just getting started,” Beebout said.
DeLorm sees the same benefit for the practicing dentist.
“These students are just kids, most of them are under 18. Sno-Isle externships are a great way to show them what a real job looks like,” she said. “Through the program, they learn what it’s like to put their fingers in someone’s mouth, before a dentist hires them, trains them, and then they quit. That’s frustrating and expensive for the dentist! We can’t see patients fast enough without a great assistant or two!”
Sno-Isle is committed to continue providing those great assistants.
This article originally appeared in Issue 3, 2025 of the WSDA News.
