Two High School “Manufacturing Systems” students are creating a special wooden gift for Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (WCPO) in Central Valley as a thank you to officials for the continued use of WCPO portable construction lights at home football games.

Juniors Kevin Crowe-Bailey and Liam Ordway designed the 36-inch diameter wood sign which prominently features WCPO’s logo along with verbiage that says “welcome to” in six languages.

The larger sign, which will be completed in the coming weeks, follows the presentation of a smaller sign last fall. When Superintendent Brian Monahan and Athletic Director Tim Bult presented the sign to WCPO General Manager David Mistretta and his team, Mr. Monahan mentioned the district would like to make a larger sign for WCPO to install wherever it wished. Mr. Mistretta, who noted the smaller sign would be a wonderful addition to WCPO offices, welcomed the idea.

In early 2024, a virtual meeting was held with students, district and WCPO officials to discuss and finalize design concepts. Mr. Mistretta was invited to the students’ classroom for a ceremonial “button push” to begin the hours-long carving process on the three-quarter inch plywood sign.

During that Feb. 29 meeting, he and his team met with the students and technology teacher Christopher Tuthill to also learn about what takes place behind-the scenes to lead to the finalized sign.

“This is an opportunity for students to use what they have learned in class and apply it to real life situations,” said Mr. Tuthill. “They’re able to give back to the community and see their work showcased in public.”

At that gathering, Kevin Crowe-Bailey discussed the 3D modeling program that was used to design the sign.  He talked about the thought process and steps to create the design and the changes that were made throughout the process.

Kevin also demonstrated toolpaths, what they are and how they are used in the design process.  Through the program, Kevin showed the WCPO team what the sign would look like after it was produced.

Liam Ordway discussed the CNC machining process.  He talked about the parts of the machine, the different bits used to carve lettering and images as well as how to set up the machine and properly use it.

Liam also explained the material used to create the sign and the process that will happen to complete the sign. Before carving the final sign design, numerous prototypes were created to identify initial design flaws.  He shared those prototypes with the group to showcase the work that went into both the design process and the machining process.

Afterward, Liam handed Mr. Mistretta the keypad which contained the start button to begin the process. Everyone watched as the beginning carvings of the sign began, impressed by the machine’s technological capabilities and how it flawlessly carved the lettering.

“To learn about the process that takes place to make this happen is wonderful,” Mr. Mistretta told the group. “To see the work actually happen is impressive, particularly when you see how all of the detailed behind-the-scenes technological work becomes a reality. We will be very proud to display this sign in one of our public areas. The professional craftsmanship is amazing and this sign will be a beautiful piece to welcome our shoppers for a long time.”

The bright lights were first used in the 2022-23 football season. Mr. Mistretta insisted the use of the portable light systems be a Woodbury Common donation to the district.

“We continue to be grateful to Woodbury Common for the use of their lights,” Mr. Monahan said. “Woodbury Common remains a very important friend to us and to Orange County.  It’s important for the district to give back to Woodbury Common, too. We always look to do this by showcasing the tremendous talents of our students and the classroom technology that our district taxpayers finance. We feel there’s no better way to demonstrate the very real-world applications of what’s taught in classrooms than through a beautiful sign for thousands and thousands of people to see.”

READ MORE: District thanks Woodbury Common Premium Outlets for use of portable lightings with special sign