Whiz Kid: Seaholm Senior Matt Roden 'Brings Intensity' as Lacrosse Captain

Each week, Patch spotlights young people in the Birmingham community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. Today we introduce this latest Whiz Kid:

Matt Roden

• Age: 18
• School:
• Achievements: Roden is the captain of the Birmingham United lacrosse team, made up of players from and Seaholm. The 5-foot-9-inch athlete was recruited by coaches in Ohio, New Jersey, New York and elsewhere before he decided to play at Albion College, a NCAA Division III school in western Michigan. Matt, who was football captain and most valuable player last fall, hopes to cap his final Seaholm season by earning a First Team All-State spot in lacrosse.  
• Key to Awesomeness: Roden will share mentoring and sports skills this summer as a day camp counselor. Academic interests include political science and government, though three varsity sports (he also played hockey until this year) left no time for Student Congress. Leadership and dedication help Matt stand out, say his mother, Jane Roden, and Seaholm coach Jeff Martin. "I expect Matt to be one of our leading scorers" this season, Martin told reporter student Scott Anderson of the Highlander recently. "He brings intensity to our practices and games. He's a hard worker ... (who) comes before practice and stays after practice quite often to work on his individual skills."

Do you know a special kid in the community who deserves applause because he volunteers after school? Or, maybe your daughter's science club challenges how we think about the environment? Or, perhaps your son's team won its first game in three years. Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

Email nominations to Editor Laura Houser at laura.houser@patch.com, provide the information given above and include a photo with names and ages. Then, come back every Tuesday for our Whiz Kid spotlight; you never know who's up next.