Noah Tranten interns at Peak Performance Fitness Center and will become a fully certified Personal Fitness Trainer in December. (David Hart photo) KINGFIELD — If you ask a Mt. Abram senior what it's like to miss school two-days a week one week and three days a week the next for their entire senior year, what do you think they'd say? And in that same time, the student would spend those days in the gym learning about their future field of study, expanding their personal portfolio for their future, becoming certified as a fitness professional and work out regularly to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Kingfield's Noah Tranten is doing just that and simply said, "It's awesome."

Tranten fulfilled most all his graduation requirements at the end of his junior year and is now spending his senior year as an intern at Peak Performance Fitness Center in Kingfield. One of his goals, as set forth in his freshman year, is approaching —he's becoming fully certified as a Personal Fitness Trainer this December.

"The internship," Mt. Abram Principal Jeanne Tucker explained, "is an opportunity to take part in a career experience while finishing the senior year of high school. The internship should provide a learning experience that adds value to the student's personal learning plan and is aligned with future career goals. The knowledge and skills provided by the experience should equal or exceed the value of the elective courses available to the student in the regular school program."

Mt. Abram senior Noah Tranten is hard at work with Peak Performance owner Alison Thayer. Tranten's goals are to go on to college and get a degree in "applied exercise science" and then go on to get his masters in "strength and conditioning."

He's currently looking at many programs including those offered at the University of New England, Gonzaga University, Springfield College, Montana State University, UMF and a whole lot more.

He said he's wanted a career in personal fitness and conditioning since he started using his brother's weight stack when he was 10 years old. He currently has two specific careers he'd like to pursue.

"I would like to be strength and conditioning coach for a major NFL team, or own my own gym and train people out of it," he explained.

When not at school, he's studying hard to be certified under the guidance, leadership and training of Peak Performance owner Alison Thayer.

"He shows already a strong desire to learn the knowledge and skills he will need to reach his goals and brings that passion to the gym every day he is here," Thayer explained. She said she's had many college interns work through her gym and fitness programs over the nearly three years it's been open. She explained that Noah's attention to detail and desire is sometimes greater then some of the college students.

"I'm studying a lot of kinesthiology, anatomy and everything there is to know about the body," he explained. "It often entails repetition and lectures on a daily basis."

Tranten said that once he's certified, he'll stay at the gym as an intern for the balance of the school year and train people there as well as other places such as at Mt. Abram.

While not at the gym, he has volunteered to take three additional classes as electives plus one English class at Mt. Abram. Or in his own words, he's taking on "four ridiculously hard classes all at the same time."

He is taking advanced placement statistics, accelerated government, an online human anatomy course and English 12 on the days he's not studying to become certified as a trainer.

"Accelerated" is a good word to use with Noah. Many know Noah for his accelerated speed as a varsity member of the number-one ranked Roadrunner soccer team or remember his hustle on the court of the Runnerdome. Many don't know he's also carrying a 92 grade point average and is an inducted member of the prestigious National Honor Society.

"Allison is one of the most outgoing and smartest people I know," Tranten explained. "She takes her job so serious and everyday is exiting to go to work with her, she makes things that would be tedious fun. The gym is nice and a great place to spend my senior year. She has given me so many opportunities to achieve my goals. Peak Performance has a little something here for just about everyone. "

Tranten explained he was very grateful to Tucker and the opportunities that both Mt. Abram and Alison have given him.

"Noah is a perfect candidate for the senior internship program. Since freshman year he has been making plans for his future and has sought out the academic and human resources necessary to make that plan a reality. He is hard working and dedicated to reaching his goals. Noah's friendly, outgoing personality makes him particularly well-suited to a career in the personal fitness field."

Noah also said he's very grateful to his parents for granting him the freedom to seek the paths of his choice.