Stereotypes have long been vital to the sociology of high school.

In John Hughes’ seminal 1985 film, “The Breakfast Club,” five unfortunate, misunderstood teenagers are interned in the library for a Saturday morning detention.

The whole plot of the movie – which takes place over two hours of laughter, anti-authority hijinks and tearful confessions – revolves around the jock, the brain, the basket case, the princess and the criminal discovering that their identities are more complicated than their two-dimensional reputations.

More than a quarter-century later, high school students in Durango are still harmed by unfair stereotypes, said Big Picture High School senior Madeline Ward, who for her senior project researched her peers’ perceptions of the school.

A skewed image

Durango School District 9-R spokeswoman Julie Popp said there are no statistically significant differences between the performance of Big Picture students on state-mandated and college preparatory tests and the performance of Durango High School students.

“It’s got its own learning model: Students do a lot of independent, self-motivated projects, and they are very engaged in the real world,” Popp said. About 80 students attend Big Picture.

Yet, the image of a Big Picture student is not, by and large, positive.

Ward said Big Picture students are reputed to be troubled stoners without academic talent, more likely to pursue higher education through the limited offerings of a prison library than in college lecture halls.

Alain Henry, administrator of Big Picture High School, said this has to do with superstitions about “alternative schools.”

“There’s still this lingering perception,” he said.

To test the breadth of this stereotype, Ward surveyed Big Picture students and Durango High School students and conducted interviews with DHS administrators.

She was dismayed by her findings.

“I think that the research shows that the perception of Big Picture is really skewed,” she said.

According to her survey, both Big Picture students and DHS students agreed Big Picture students were stereotyped as drug users.

When the respondents were asked whether they thought that the “stereotype is actually true,” many DHS students said it was, while Big Picture students roundly rejected it.

Most DHS students also said they knew very little about Big Picture’s unique academic program.

“I think it’s unfair for DHS students to be saying that,” Ward said. “But I do think it’s pretty widespread. We have a pretty generalized perception throughout most of the community – but a lot of the community doesn’t know about Big Picture at the same time.”

Ward’s adviser, Big Picture teacher Dreher Robertson, said Ward’s research had crystallized something the student body had long been aware of.

“One of the other pieces is that there’s a real disconnect between the perceptions of our school and what we actually are,” he said. “Maddy has done interviews with the administrators at DHS, surveys of DHS students and community members. The judgments that everybody has are based on our first year in the DHS building. Everything was still in development. But change is really easy with a small staff, and we’re a very small school.”

As schools across the state struggle to comply with new, onerous assessments, such as educator evaluations mandated by Senate Bill 191, Robertson said Big Picture is “ahead of the curve.”

The real Picture

For the last few years, Big Picture High School has been right next to the Durango School District 9-R administration building at 201 E. 12 St. The school graduated its first class in 2012.

Right now, it is Durango High School’s fourth Small Learning Community, the only one that’s off campus, but school administrator Henry said last year that district Superintendent Daniel Snowberger had given his blessing for the school to become independent of DHS entirely.

Henry said Big Picture students not only have to meet the same graduation requirements as DHS students, Big Picture also requires its students to take a college class “before they leave.”

“That’s everybody, not just the top kids – and of 42 kids, 40 have passed their college classes with an average grade of 88,” he said. “Part of that is to get kids to realize they can actually succeed in college while high school. We’re actually a college prep school.”

Popp said the district was aware of Big Picture’s spurious image and planned to help Ward stage a concerted public relations campaign to inform the community about Big Picture.

“The district is working with Maddy and the school to create information, forums, brochures and education pieces, just to identify what we want the brand of the school to be and show it off to the community in different ways,” she said.

Ward said she was optimistic that Big Picture’s ill repute would soon give way to a renown based in reality.

Ward said City Council members and public campaigns could play a role in clarifying the school’s identity.

In the meantime, the school is unveiling a new mascot: the badger.

“The kids voted for it,” Henry said.

It’s about being stubborn, hardworking and loyal, Ward said.

cmcallister@durangoherald.com