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BPHS Info Session 2

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3 of our students share their stories about how the school has impacted them. Audience questions are also answered.

Show Transcript

thanks for coming out tonight and my name is Bradley Hardin I am the principal of Durango Big Picture High School it's a great school to a wonderful place and tonight skull really is to help you see our students to help you see what they believe about our school what they do at our school and really for them to present their stories because they're they're pretty powerful we have three students tonight two of them are seniors we have Stella and Patriot and one is a junior her name is Bree and so which one of you amazing people would like to go Patriot you for volunteering Patriot should I start now Bradley Patriot and I came to big picture as a freshman but I was a little different so I never been to a public school or so coming to big picture was really my first taste with like a public education system saws and they're definitely some like social and academic challenges that had become but big picture definitely seem like the school for me and especially their internship program and I had two notable in ships that stand out I was an intern with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and I was in charge of like pretty much running the front desk is a little bit of educational work with kids and that kind of stuff and then my second internship was with mountain Studies Institute and I just did a lot of Hands-On science for that internship I had a couple projects one of them including I was in charge of monitoring to game camera setup in the Hermosa Creek like burn scar to Monitor regrowth and the other one was like flood debris going down in the Hermosa Creek drainage another really big factor that impacts what using big picture was the one on one relationship students will form with teachers and staff like I remember I want to see if in the first two weeks Bradley had pretty much memorized all the students first names and it was kind of crazy to see cuz he knows a lot of people and then to you also form a really unique relationship with your advisor my advisor is Chelsea and I believe she'll be the Freshman adviser next year super cool that we had a big impact in my life as an individual I kind of look at Chelsea like she's a second mom I asked her and that kind of stuff but I don't really feel comfortable going to my mom and Chelsea's actually help me pick some of the issues I've had with my mom which is really cool play cool thing about big pictures are college classes and I'm actually in a business management class so I can run the big that I started last spring in the spring of 2021 or 2020 during the pandemic start a landscaping business and doing a business class at the FLC data out skilled another really unique thing I got into at my time at big picture was the Southwest Conservation Corps during my sophomore year they came in and talked to students about a youth program and sign up to that with a little bit of encouragement for Chelsea and our internship coordinator Dave they push me to do it and it was quite a I really enjoyed it and it helped me quite a lot yeah classes at Big Picture are really cool they're trying to set up an away to engage students I am in one at the moment called history's Mysteries and it's fire our history teacher Christopher and it's super cool and you really breaks apart how like early Europeans roast Power and Light breaks apart like how how much it was only because of geography that they got lucky they were just out like a lucky hand and yeah I really enjoyed his class and all the classes a big picture of super engaging for students that's pretty much all I got Bradley does anyone have questions for Patriot no question. Were you homeschooled before is that why you were had never been to a previous Public School my mom had made the decision to home-school me like from like kindergarten to 8th grade in my freshman year was my text I guess encounter with Public School awesome sounds like it's been a good experience thanks for sharing Patriot I have a question you mentioned the classes that we have can you talk a little bit more about those and the fort like the format in the structure and that sort of stuff so big picture Kaiser classes set up a little differently we call him experiences or sessions them and they won for 4 weeks and they change every 4 weeks either in time and material being taught it's super cool because students are in charge of like selecting their classes that it for the most part like depending on like what they need there's always input from the advisor but there's usually like opportunities to build do it like history class or Lakers and I know there's an art experience for kids just like that kind of stuff which is it which is super cool and it also allows teachers to engage more with a tan 1013. Less traditional than I feel like a standard school would be and then what about like how are grades assigned in I sort of thing like how do you how do you prove learning in this class than the classes that you're in so we use project Foundry to keep track of all of our stuff and pretty much lines out the standards and criteria that we need in order to like meat that standard which is I forgot but it's like I remember the exact it's like a 3.5 GPA is the state set up so does that make sense not really could you ask the question again Bradley yeah can you talk about like you know other schools you do assignments you turn the man you get points you accumulate all these points and then you have a great at the end our classes are structured much differently so can you explain that like that we don't have points for say and we don't I mean we don't have letter grades until the end so I guess it's really just like a criteria for me being the standards like what I standard is there's a lot more open and flexible like we have the opportunity to go back in and equations to projects and get a better grade just because of project Foundry they're not locked in not liking assigned project we just work a lot more Hands-On standards which lets us have the freedom to be able to go back in and make adjustments if we want to I've got another question one of the tenants of big picture learning is the concept of deeper learning instead of learning you know 400 things just a little teeny bit to learn less and go deeper with it can you describe something that you've done that you really felt you went really deep within you learned a lot with ya so I'm actually example is first class history's Mysteries you wanted us to look into historical mysteries that have happy like throughout time and that was pretty much like our only like guideline for the class so I chose the history of the Titanic end what Christopher wants to do is create a case File so provide background knowledge on the mystery provide evidence for the most plausible theory for the Titanic is that it struck an iceberg which is no more so I'm a fact in my a mystery but there's a lot of conspiracy theories with the Titanic and I just kind of wanted to dispel some of those and then Christopher also wants us to put together an alternate Theory to what happened so far for that I was really challenged to it to find an alternate Theory so I had to do a lot of background resources research use a lot of my resources live action of Christopher a couple of times to get additional resources on this project just because I want it to be something I can be proud of and potentially you know uses like a reference project for like you know what you're most proud of like you just know you just asked but yeah it's a super cool project any other questions for Patriot got a question for Patriot so you mentioned to start that business last spring and I assumed that that was part of you you were able to build that into your student driven curriculum and can you talk a little bit more about how you did that yes like the Lakers starting of the business there high integrated it into my academics. So fortunately big picture A lot of the teachers are really passionate about what they're doing so it wasn't that hard when I initially started it Chelsea and I had sat down and talked about it to temporarily replacing my internship internships law for my senior year which it did so do all the work that I've been doing my business has been counting as an internship as well as there's plans as I move forward with more have you like like business finances Matt kind of stuff to be to develop that into an economics project with Christopher thank you yeah anyone else have any questions for Patriot I think we're going to go with Stella let you think about things a little bit longer Bree should I get start so before I went to big picture I went to Miller Middle School and I don't want to say that I hated it but it really didn't work for me I was really unhappy in that kind of learning environment and I was not doing well in any of my classes so knowing my performance there I wasn't really wanting to go to a more typical school like Durango high school has a very similar set up those looking between big picture and animist and the picture was recommended to me Jordan interview and I kind of fell in love I didn't even look at Animas I didn't even bother with it and it was definitely the right decision for me so my friends from year it was very different than what I was used to it was like I was really excited to like jump in with school work and I signed up for all of the like artsy experiences that I could so I got all of my elective credits on like my freshman year and something else that really appealed to me or was our ability to take classes off campus so my freshman year I took a class with Durango animation lives I don't even think they're here in Durango anymore think they knew but really cool to be able to work in like an actual Animation Studios in the smiley building at the time of the other like work with and learn from professionals and get that kind of opportunity and that was really really exciting for me and for my first internship my freshman year we wanted to pursue that one at animation Labs but I wasn't able to someone else had already snagged it from me so my first internship I got at the back cream Bean Berry the ice cream shop downtown and it wasn't the most education but it was a lot of fun and is really cool to work in that kind of environment be able to go out and do that during the school day and kind of do something different with my time than I was expecting too and I had a lot of fun there and my freshman year I ended with maybe 9 credits which was a bit like ahead because of just how well I worked within the school and how like different it was I finally felt like I wasn't really feeling like in middle school I felt like it was my fault that I wasn't really getting school work done that I wouldn't feel smart so being able to be in a different environment feel like I was finally able to get work done in like it works for my brain I don't know how to raise this properly but the next year my sophomore year I did the PowerHouse internship at Durango Powerhouse Science Center and that one was a ton of fun I got to set up field trips and work on like different pain projects and work with you too and it was just a blast and that was really really really cool cuz within walking distance from the school and I got to meet some really really cool people and I was signing up with them to do summer internships I was outside of our our own schools program but it didn't end up going through which was a little unfortunate but not too big of a deal and then one of my other favorite aspects of our school is the college classes that we get to take play taking intro to psychology and anthropology up at Fort Lewis and I love them both a lot my favorite class and I've taken up Fort Lewis was our 2D design class that I took last year my junior year the professor was really really fun and creative and this was before covid-19 full big things so it was really cool then just looking back on it was cool to be in that setting now it's like Gym classes and online lectures into a little bit different but I still really I really really the classes and I just really like learning in a setting where I get to have more creativity and control over the project that I do for example are independent projects I've done a lot of independent projects out of a picture definitely like works with the amount of creative freedom that they gave us to do cool things there and that's been a lot of fun to be able to kind of do my own thing without being feeling like I'm being forced to do certain projects which I never really enjoyed and trying to think of what else to say another really really helpful thing as a senior is the amount of support we get college so every Friday I think we're switching to Mondays Wendy comes in and she helps support us with our college applications and scholarships and that's something that normally I would have a lot of anxiety about but I get that support and I like feel very comfortable I don't know if I'd be able to have that support in another setting questions for Stella questions I got a question Google you mentioned you mentioned the internships and you use the word fun quite a bit which I said circle is great but can you talk a little bit about one of the requirements for internships as a the project that you do to give you the business, can you pick one of those that you did that you thought was really impact yeah so my stuff when you're with my Powerhouse internship I created a field trip experience for certain kids hard to explain when kids can get those field trips out of the powerhouse Powerhouse kind of steps most so I created like a murder mystery forensic kind of science one where they had all these forensics fingerprinting and for like Puzzles and riddles and I got to build that field trip for kids to actually use and I put it all together in a document and it took a lot of work but it was really really unique and it wasn't really something I was expecting to complete their and then I'm going to question you mentioned so you've taken several college classes now and I know the requirement is every student should take one what what has led you down this path of taking multiple classes a big part of it is a fact that big picture pays for it so I don't have to lie I know what your day goes by just feels like I get a really cool off Trinity to take free college classes which is really something that's going to come up cuz next year when I go to college I'm going to have to pay some money for my classes but I really like the college setting my anthropology I get to go there in person my cycling Ball online unfortunately but I still enjoy it I just like being up there I like kind of interacting with people and working on those bigger projects and it's really interesting I don't know I just like a really cool opportunity and it just kind of like love being up there and then that southern stamping and repeating yeah I have a question Bradley Stella Fergie for your college classes before you took your first class do you still like can you talk about any aspect of big picture that you feel like prepared you for your college experience broadly we think a big part of it would be like using my resources and being able to get help from big picture with college-level classes and being able to like learn how to ask for help being able to communicate with Chelsea like even this year I've had Chelsea look over my psych papers and make sure that they were like good and ready for the college level it's been like our Gateway Keys really make the finding and using resources and communication and being able to know how and when and where to get that assistance from my advisors and teachers yeah cuz that this is Bradley again that is a question we get asked is okay big picture the way the learning model is structured is very in a freeing it's independent it's creative but then College a lot of time does not like that yeah so how does Big Picture prepare you and what you're saying is through all of these other ways right like the deepest Muse communicating effectively finding and using resources and we we probably recite all 11 of them if we want but you can check our website for those cuz they're on their other questions for Stella there's a train in the chat the college classes we can take so you're required to take one college class I believe it's a graduation requirement and then I believe you can take up to 2 semester once you get into senior Institute which is other things that we do at our school I've no fraud there's more information on that or not that is correct sometimes we have students are at a time and so it real does depend on each student some students do just take one college class and that's it and that's great other students try to get most of their school work done by maybe December of senior year and then they're taking multiple courses you know we've had some students enrolled in the emergency medical technician programs or PCC their senior year another students been enrolled in the certified nurse's program for PCC so that's a good question for sure alright anybody else all right so we're going to have bre step up here this is Bri hi Bri how's everyone so I'm free I'm a junior at big picture and when I first came I guess I didn't really have much hope for myself in general activities in Gringo a quarter inch I want to say that's Miller and Middle School can I stay there was like I was just a straight A student Ringo how much further ahead yeah I wasn't good at math for so if I going to be completely honest like young still not very good at school learning so no big picture did for me was just to make me like one to try to actually like you better in school and not only a few weeks in and I was already opening up and talk to you people making friends and taking the whole bunch of girls instead of being a cheerleader started light I went back to Miller to intern with because I felt like Mueller just make it like a little bit more and that was my freshman year and then my sophomore year so I spent two years at Muller teaching I really like you know teaching this year computer work yeah you can ask just about like anyone about me try to make everyone smile but I never used to be one hundred percent certainty is everyone even if she's like you want something positive morning yes you're not interested in the normal way to do things it just it doesn't matter what you look like or what even if you don't know what that is still really good and we're family that's how I see it is anfield welcome and that you would ask me for years ago honestly I I thought you know I hate school so much we are really excited to be there and be at the place where people will accept me never go to school again because it was so rough and we can imagine so yeah that's all I have Brianna have a question this is Bradley so I appreciate shake that you mention some of these other things that the other students didn't mention and it's not because they didn't also agree with that but but you brought out another side which is you know the Karen concerned you see on our campus in can you explain you know sources of strength is as also at the other high school and and the middle schools as well Bri has been pretty instrumental in leading that program for our school can you explain something that you feel that you've LED with sources of strength that's made a huge difference you don't need to give specific people's names or but can you generalize it honestly there are two things that I have not only impacted me but the first thing is in our school we have giant tree are cheerleaders painted and not a link from juniper but Marshall actually you know right about things and like draw things just made them to happy so like each month to pick strength friends and come up with something and it really felt good just like walking to the cafeteria now we can just see that tree there and see like no different things and I have to say is he was last year or the year before that we did a mental health and we had which one has just come up with a really great and we donated the whole bunch of if somebody coping tool other questions for Bri have you finished your math homework sorry I couldn't help myself I'm working on the slides for it I'm not very great like now I have to be honest but I've actually been doing the projects can you explain this Bradley again free can you explain how that there's more than one way to tackle math or any other subject at our school like March is our math teacher and she'll come up with like lesson plans things he wants us to learn but read it till I explore it in our own way like if you don't like what he came up with new ideas I'm working on a project right now I was refused my fears and Marcus just like okay you need to find racing like they race each other each other calculate net worth yada yada in the I did mind on steps per second with my group and so I can stop y'all just chimed in so again I think with the with the different content areas in a student's can they become the center of the learning process right and so students are at go to take the performance indicators the state standards and then they can decide how they want to tackle that and I think it's I think students being able to do that I actually they think more than just when given the assignment and having to do that and spit that out and turned out in so I'm so it's pretty neat any other questions for Bri I have a question for all of the students if I could so I meet with a lot of kids in the community and I direct a feud Ford big picture who I think would be able to fit their the thing I hear a lot is but my friends don't go there and I was wondering if you guys could talk a little bit about your social life at big picture I can say something about that my 8th grade none of my friends are going to big picture on my first day I did recognize a few people from my school but I didn't think that going to anybody in my freshman class knew I had asked almost everyone I knew everyone said they were to go to DHS or Animas and I was really really scary for me but like evil my first day at the people that are just like so open in welcoming and just like ready to like embrace you into their friend groups like the first day I had a friend group in like it just kind of they morph and they shift and you get new people to fight being such a small culture but everyone is just very like open accepting because the people that go there like if you go that are also looking for something new and I'm looking to try different things and they like their your people if you're going to go to Big Picture by their yours he will like it really really unique I'll say something I guess I was really worried about leaving my friends when I came to these pictures you know anybody there but even if you don't think your friends don't come here like no everybody and everybody like nothing's really toxic at big picture you know everybody just so open and and just they're just going to be there for you like no matter what units they don't know you like I don't know if people knew people that came in and yet you know like they're still like talking to me your issues weather in school and I still keep in touch with the friends that I have coming in so I think it's good to just like everybody especially within like your advisory because the kids and your advisor used play with them all four years you don't go into a new class your sophomore year like those kids like there's their kids my advisor I don't really talk to them but I still like I know them and we can get along even if we don't really talk or hang out but I do still likes I feel like they're my family like I've known these people for 4 years like they're there what are throw something out there to Shawnee now Ben 10 tier 11. Big picture I've only ever had one student leave big picture because they miss their social life but I've had hundreds of students come from DHS and animist because they wanted to be with their friend a big picture and so I think that I think speaks a lot to a both of them just said but you know it's it's yeah it's pretty interesting I've only ever had one kid leave because they wanted their social life at DHS has pretty interesting help someone up a lot for me I think and hopefully for us another kid you see this all right well I want to thank the students because we didn't even pay him to do this and it's after hours so to speak so thank you Patriot thanks for coming out again we appreciate your time and we'll get this recording put on the website for other people to view as well and thank you for being here we appreciate it I'm going to say thank you guys for the especially with the people you know who are about it and to just like you know it was good so thank you for that Bradley we're a big team all right we'll have a good night everybody and stay safe we appreciate you

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BPHS Info Session 2

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