Denis Widdicombe, Class of ‘18, has returned to Friends Select School as the Athletic Coordinator to fill in for Carl Trainer, the formal Athletic Coordinator, who is missing the beginning of the year.
Denis’s relationship with the Athletic Director, Bill Klose, allowed him to stay in touch to find a job to further his career. “Denis brings great experience and institutional knowledge to his position in our athletics department,” said Bill. “It is always nice to bring back alums to help guide our current student-athletes.”
Since graduating, Denis has worked for multiple businesses but ultimately ended up working for the Sixers. Last year, since Denis is a longtime Philadelphia resident, he put in a majority of his time to help coach the FSS Baseball Team. With Denis’s obvious commitment to FSS, the Athletic Coordinator role fits his experience and goals. “It was definitely not my plan to come back to FSS, but I never completely closed the possibility of returning,” said Denis. “Not only did I get to give back to the school that did so much for me, but it also presented an opportunity to grow professionally.”
Denis feels that Friends Select set him up to succeed in writing and problem-solving in college. In addition to great academics, Denis also showed appreciation for Friends Select’s small size. “It meant everything to me. Many of my friends in high school were my friends for 10 plus years…they were more like family than friends,” said Denis.
While assisting the baseball team last year, Denis wasn’t in the school building during the day, so he enjoys the social advantages and proximity of his new position. “It was definitely a little weird at first, seeing my old teachers, but it has just grown my relationship with them professionally,” said Denis. This has aided him in returning smoothly to the school.
As an alum, Denis saw that Friends Select was putting effort into remodeling the building. “I’ve also donated some money to continue their efforts to grow the school,” he said.
