Big Picture South Burlington; an innovative high school where students can create their own curriculum. Advisors collaborate with students on a one-to-one basis and co-exist in a close-knit community. As a Big Picture student, you have opportunities for real-world learning, internships, travel opportunities, and more. Big Picture South Burlington; a place to grow as an individual while getting a head start on your career.
This is where I went to high school. We didn't have grades or classes. Yes, there were bumps in the road, even in a small group of 18 students. But we made it work. We learned more than just what we wanted to be when we grew up. We learned the importance of friendship, we found out what it’s like to fail, and how to pick yourself up again. All in all, we learned a little bit more about ourselves.
I studied photography with this program for three years, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. I've interned with the University of Vermont darkroom photo lab, Beltrami Studios, and local freelance photographers. I was even given the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua! I made lifelong friends, great connections, and a pathway for my career as a photographer. Big Picture South Burlington helped me become the artist I am today.
Check out this link to view a free e-book we published in 2012; Common, Useful, and Edible Plants & Fungi of Vermont
I'm not sure how many, or if any of us, realized how amazing this program was at the time. There's the obvious; not going to class is every teenage dream. We were setting ourselves up for the future. We gained an advantage over the rest of our peers just by participating in our local community at such a young age. We volunteered our time at churches, helped the homeless, and cleaned up towns after natural disasters. We gained a foothold and left an impact on the companies and communities we cared about. We learned how to make a difference in this world, and how to leave it a better place than we found it. One of my favorite and eye-opening experiences was our trip to Nicaragua. Images below, shot on Nikon & Canon