As the school year begins, freshmen aren’t the only new faces in the building. Recently, SFHS hired a new Behavior Intervention Adviser and basketball coach.

However, Robbie Whitney is already familiar with the school, because he is also a 2016 alumni. Even though he went to school here, he still can’t believe what the school looks like post construction.

“A lot has changed,” said Whitney. “The whole school Library looks way different, the cafeteria looks way different, we didn’t have the Saints room. About the only spot is the e-wing that looks the same, but even now you guys have the DECA Dugout so that’s changed.”

Before coming back to SFHS, Coach Whitney worked at Augustana University in Sioux Falls South Dakota as a basketball coach for a year. He then went to New Life Academy in Woodbury Minnesota and coached basketball there for two years. While Whitney was a basketball coach he was also working in administration.

Over the years, there have been many alumni that have come back to work at St. Francis High School. One of those alumni, teacher and coach Dylan Schroeder, reached out and told Whitney that a  job had opened up and that he should apply.

“I came back because the varsity basketball position opened up,” he said. “I was super interested in that obviously.” 

One thing that Whitney said hasn’t changed for St. Francis is the pride within the community.

“It’s been fun seeing the teachers that I once had,” he said. “I get to work with them and being able to call them coworkers is really cool”

Whitney isn’t a new face for some. He coached many kids in basketball when they were in third and fourth grade, and now he gets to see them grown up in high school.

“It’s pretty cool so it’s a really rewarding and kind of a full circle experience,” he said.