Student featured in Explore Big Sky

For Benjamin Sands, a junior at Upper Perkiomen High School, a family tradition inspired an unforgettable learning experience. Through the school’s X Lab program, Sands combined woodworking, laser engraving, CNC machining and epoxy resin techniques to create a detailed 47-by-24-inch relief map of Big Sky Resort, a Montana ski destination his family has visited for more than 20 years.

An article in Explore Big Sky outlined his process. Over three months, Sands designed and built the piece from a single wood board, engraving mountain terrain, carving ski trails and hand-filling each run with colored resin to match the resort’s trail difficulty ratings. Along the way, he overcame technical challenges, solved design problems and refined his craftsmanship with support from X Lab instructor Dan Moyer.

The finished project is more than a school assignment. It celebrates a place that holds special meaning for the Sands family and will be displayed in their restored Pennsylvania home. Through hands-on learning, creativity and perseverance, Sands transformed a personal passion into a lasting work of art while gaining valuable real-world skills in design, engineering and problem-solving.