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Seth Ellis, a 7th grader at Brewster Middle School aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, was awarded Teen of the Month by Teen Squad, an afterschool program for base youth.

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Athletic, adventurous adolescent named newest Teen of Month

7 Jun 2012 | Lance Cpl. Jackeline M. Perez Rivera Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Seth Ellis, a 7th grader at Brewster Middle School, was named Teen Squad’s Teen of the Month for the part he plays in leading his peers at the after-school program.
 
Seth, an athlete, said he enjoys dealing with electronics and making use of the opportunities available to him through Teen Squad.
 
“He’s is an overall great teen,” said Cedric McDonald, the assistant director of Teen Squad. “He’s very respectful to the staff and to other teens. He’s a great role model.”
 
McDonald said Seth is the first to pull out his homework and get it done. He is also the first to get off the couch to go outside and play.
 
Being physical is important to Seth, while he originally played baseball, he found himself gravitating to lacrosse after his sister and some neighbors introduced him to it.
 
“It looked fun,” said Seth. “You have to run fast. In baseball you’re just waiting for your turn, but lacrosse is a big workout. You’re always running back and forth.”
 
He began playing lacrosse several months ago with the Onslow Tribe, and while he’s new to the sport, he picked it up fast and helped his team win a tournament recently. He finds lacrosse is a good outlet, and he’s looking forward to playing it in the future. 
 
“Seth inspires the other kids to get off the couch and do other things,” said McDonald.
 
Seth leads by example. He is very involved with Teen Squad and participates in a number of groups. While he’s usually quiet, McDonald found Seth stepped up during Maynia by cheering on his fellow teens who participated in activities.
 
“He’s a natural leader,” said Helen Gross, Seth’s guardian. “He’s a great kid and a joy to be around. He’s independent. He takes good care of his siblings and loves his family.”
 
Seth is new to the military lifestyle but he likes the sense of community and the opportunities he’s gained to make new friends. 
 
While at Teen Squad, Seth is also a key member of a group who gathers to diagnose and fix a broken X-Box 360.
 
“Seth has been a big voice in rebuilding it,” said McDonald.
 
Dennis Mashburn, a child development program assistant at Teen Squad, spearheaded the effort to teach the children about electronics through fixing the videogame system.
 
Mashburn said he hopes the experience leads Seth and the other teens to look into a future in computers and electronics.
 
However, Seth is not set on a path just yet.
 
“I see everything, and I want to do a lot of it,” said Seth. “I can’t choose just one.”
 
His family is not worried though. Seth wants to go to college in order to succeed in the future.  Family members said he’s shown strong will and independence.
 
“He’s willing to try new things and is excited about opportunities,” said Gross. “He’s very bright and adventurous. The world will be his playground. Whatever he decides to do he’ll be very successful in.”
 
For more information about Teen Squad, call 376-1531.