Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1209996
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM FEBRUARY 12-18, 2020 UCW 21 D.G. MARTIN, Host of UNC's Book Watch. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. LITERATURE EDUCATION SANDRA WALKER, FTCC Dept. Chair, Dental Assisting. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. "It is one of the best books I ever read, maybe the best." That got my attention, but when my friend told me it was a family history book, I cooled down. "But this one is something different. It is special. I couldn't put it down." So when she pushed a copy of John May's privately published "The Mays of Alamanns' Creek: A Family Odyssey" on me, I agreed to read a few pages. That decision was made easier because May, a retired textile executive, is also the author of "Poe and Fanny," an imagi- native and deeply researched novel based on a portion of Edgar Allan Poe's life. It is one of my all-time favorites. Still, I was skeptical. Family histories can be interesting. But, even when written by great writers, they can also be tedious or too inwardly focused to have broad appeal. Because May grew up in a prominent Burlington fam- ily, I thought the book would teach me some interesting regional history. Maybe I would learn more. Family his- tories and memoirs reach back generations, sometimes even going back across the ocean to times before the family came to North America. It turns out that May follows his family to times long before their arrival in Burlington, before his ancestors landed in Pennsylvania and moved to Burlington. He fol- lows them all the way back to the 1500s in Germany. And if that weren't enough, he then takes his family back to the origin of human and human-like species in Africa thousands and thousands of years ago. Using the results of recent findings in genetics, anthro- pology and other science, he builds a framework to tell stories about what might have happened to his ancestors as they migrated. Over thousands of years they moved slowly from Africa, across to Asia, then along lands beside the Black Sea, through what is now Bulgaria and Rumania, up the Danube and down the Rhine rivers winding up in a small village near Frankfurt, Germany. May explains how the slow migration often took place in clans or family groups. When a settled group outgrew the capacity of its surrounding land, it would break up and move far enough away to have its own separate land that could provide sufficient game and other food. Slowly, over thousands of years, these incremental relocations would lead to massive movements of popu- lations. As he did in "Poe and Fanny," May mixes fact and fic- tion. His ancestor, Jorg May, born in 1520 in Gelnhausen, Germany, managed a vineyard. That is fact. Also factual are the accounts of the uncertain times created by the religious and political upheavals that resulted from Martin Luther's break with the Catholic Church. Based around these facts and his research about the times, May creates believable and interesting characters and stories of their lives. May's story becomes more relevant when Jorg's descendant, Daniel May, a poor German farm boy, read glowing reports about North Carolina in a publication called "The Golden Book." He made his way to Amsterdam and then to Pennsylvania and down the Wagon Road to what became Alamance County. He arrived in time for the Regulator Rebellion and the American Revolution. Daniel's grandson, Henry P., moved to Indiana, served in the Union Army and moved to California before com- ing back to Alamance to court and marry Barbara, a woman he met before the war when she was working in a textile factory. Their grandson, William Henry May, built a textile empire in Burlington. He is John May's grandfather. All these stories, blended fact and fiction, set in differ- ent times and places, and so well told by May, make for an unusual and satisfying reading experience. Sadly, May only printed a few copies for friends and family. We may have to wait a while before more are available. You may have to wait to read the 'best book ever' by D.G. MARTIN What book do you think is the "best book ever?" The Dental Assisting curriculum at Fayetteville Technical Community College prepares individuals to assist the dentist in the delivery of dental treatment and to func- tion as integral members of the dental team while performing chair-side and related office and laboratory procedures. Students receive up-to-date training in the dental field from a CODA-accredited program. This means students who graduate from FTCC are consid- ered DA II's in the state of North Carolina and are eligible to perform some expanded func- tions in this state without paying for further training or certification. Dental assisting is an exciting career in the dental field that gives students a variety of options upon graduation. They can work in general dentistry or in one of the specialties: orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatrics, etc. There is also work in administrative roles or with dental vendors. Training in dental assisting gives students knowledge and flexibility to advance in the dental field. The program at FTCC covers instru- ments, both general and specialty, and their func- tions — infection control policies and procedures, dental radiography, dental materials, dental sci- ences, anatomy, and practice management. Students have training on campus as well as clinical rotations to dental offices in Fayetteville and surrounding areas. Rotation sites include general dentistry and specialty areas. This exposure gives students valu- able training with real patients as they learn to func- tion as a member of the dental team. As students move through their semesters, they also prepare for their national board exams. Students have the option to take the boards in three sections: Infection Control; Radiation Health and Safety; and General Chairside. Or they can take all three components at one sitting. Students are Certified Dental Assistants or CDAs once they have passed all exam compo- nents, and that is a national recognition. Training to become a dental assistant is a one- year program. The training starts in the fall semester, and students graduate the following summer. Most graduates have secured jobs prior to gradu- ation and have gained valuable hands-on experience from their clinical rotation sites. The job outlook for dental assisting shows that there will be growth in the field through at least 2032, and the average salary for a North Carolina dental assistant is $38,720. Students who have advanced certification and training are more likely to have the best job prospects according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Students interested in dental assisting are encouraged to call or email me for further information at 910-678-8574 or walkers@ faytechcc.edu. The application process for all health programs is open from November through Jan. 30, and financial aid is available for qualified students. Students will need to make an application to the college first and have all transcripts sent to FTCC for processing. Late applications to the program may be accepted. The faculty and staff at FTCC are excited to help get you started on the path to your new career! We look forward to having you come and learn with us and become part of our dental family at FTCC. Dental assistants integral members of dental team by SANDRA WALKER The dental assisting program at FTCC is a one-year program.