Dental students thrive during a unique orientation experience
First-year dental students form friendships and expand their team-building skills
Why does breathing salty ocean air and walking on cool sand spark curiosity and inspire us to try new things?
Seventy-seven first-year OHSU School of Dentistry students felt that spark during a unique orientation retreat at Cannon Beach on Sept. 18–19, 2025.
Photos left to right: Fremont Bridge group member Lex Egan holds a tooth she removed from the sand dragon’s mouth as part of their group’s act; Steel Bridge group members Manuel Perrien Naccarato, Aidan Huynh, Alexandra Ibrahim, Lucy Li, Faith Hutapea and Alexis Louie cheer on their team; Hudson Jackson from the St. Johns Bridge group performs as Shrek, a character in a movie about a grumpy green ogre; and Sellwood Bridge group strategize.
On a sunny morning, they lined up on the shore, ready to create sand sculpture masterpieces. The winning group was led by a tooth fairy who walked spectators through an imaginative fairytale creation with a triumphant end.
The annual Jack Clinton Conference on Professionalism is a School of Dentistry tradition. Since 1987—save for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic—students have built relationships in a beautiful, serene setting. The event is named after the late OHSU School of Dentistry dean, Jack Clinton, D.M.D., who served in the leadership role for eight years starting in 2004.
Students take part in team-building activities like drafting commitments to their clinical teams, reflecting on their character, writing a letter to their future self, and discussing the dental profession and ethical standard.
Throughout their four years, dental students work in small groups at the South Waterfront campus to provide patient care. Each group is named after a Portland bridge, like Sellwood or Fremont. During the beach trip, they work within their bridge groups.
Myths and fairy tales
The retreat culminates in a final project on the second day. There is a friendly sand sculpture competition within full view of the infamous Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach. The theme this year was dental myths and fairy tales.
In 90 minutes, students shape their concepts using buckets of sand and seawater, beach treasures and a few items they brought with them. Each group presents their story in front of students and spectators, while OHSU alumni score their performance. Points are given for the structure of the sculpture, aesthetic appeal, use of materials and presentation.
The Broadway Bridge group took home the gold.
At the start of the parody, first-year learner Noah Pratt danced across the sand dressed as the tooth fairy. He wore a white tank top with a tooth outlined in black ink, white tights, a tutu, wings and a headband supporting two delicate white butterflies.
Pratt and his peers led one of the alumni judges, Bryan Schofield, D.M.D. ’20, around a ring of challenges. At each stop, Schofield was asked to brave fairy tale creatures. The final challenge was the triumphant removal of a four-foot plastic sword from a mound of sand, symbolizing the legend of the Excalibur sword that Arthur Pendragon pulled from a stone, making him the king of Britain.
The parody drew constant laughter from the crowd.
The team building activity is whimsical and fun, while also encouraging students to work together, solve problems and practice communication skills.
The winner of the sand sculpture contest, the Broadway Bridge group, demonstrates the final challenge in their skit.
Study habits
The first two years of dental school are academically intense. There is a large amount of information to absorb. The volume can be exhausting. The beach trip fosters collaboration during low-stress activities. Learners also get practical tips such as how to navigate the first few years of dental school from other current students and alumni.
“I’m most anxious about getting acclimated to the bulk of work and how much it will increase in the fall,” said Samuel Appiah, a member of the Steel Bridge group. “I have to find different studying strategies.”
Fourth-year students shared study tips, where to find resources and other advice.
“Don’t compare yourself to others; instead, support one another,” said Hannah West, a fourth-year dental student in the Sellwood Bridge group.
Caroline Hoang, a fourth-year student in the Fremont Bridge group, reminded new learners that mistakes will happen—and encouraged them to focus on the bright side.
“If you mess up, think of it as another way to problem solve,” she said.
Deserving of this moment
Alumni experiences can parallel what today’s students endure, despite the age gap.
When John Kloucek, D.M.D., ’86, was 6 years old, he knew he wanted to be a dentist. His family lived modestly. His father was a logger. Neither parent went to college. His mother didn’t support her son’s dream at first.
“You are not going to be a dentist,” she told him. But Kloucek was determined.
Kloucek is in his 40th year of private practice. He provided his mother with two dozen dental crowns over her lifetime.
Building sand sculptures is about preparedness, according to Kloucek, one of three judges during the competition that included Schofield and Ronda Trotman, D.M.D. ’96. The activity involves building trust, communicating with peers and polishing one’s presentation skills.
His sage advice to the Class of 2029 is: “You deserve to be here no matter how humble your beginnings were.”
Story by Rhonda Morin, APR
AI was used to review and revise this story.
