Noah Gruber is 14 years old and of the variety that tempts one to add “and going on 30.” Maybe it’s the unassuming precociousness of a small individual accustomed to big company. Maybe it’s the thoughtful, articulate answers he gives to personal inquiries, or the unfeigned politeness he possesses, which most teens tend to switch off the moment their parents aren’t looking. Or maybe it’s because, at an age where the looming title of “high school freshman” sounds laborious enough, Noah Gruber can include “computer engineer” on his already lengthy extracurricular resume.

Noah attributes the initial itch for his own super computer to a love of directing and editing movies with friends. The Gruber family desktop lacked the creative suites and hard drive space required for his hobby, so Noah decided to approach a tech-savvy neighbor for advice on building the perfect machine. It took eight long months to save for parts—a 320 GB hard drive; 2 GB of RAM; an Intel Core Duo; and Windows XP Professional—during which Noah babysat, dog sat, house sat and firmly sat on an accruing allowance. He even resorted to what the average American adolescent would deem unthinkable: selling his Nintendo DS.

“I was excited to do it because it would be something I created, something I would know how to fix or redo with new parts,” he explains of the end result, finished last May for a surprisingly low $600. “I could customize it however I want, which was very motivating.”

Noah’s computer, housed in a sharp ruby red case with neon blue glow lights, power dials and a cooling system (yup, he built all that, too), went on to win Best In Show in the computer division at June’s Hennepin County Fair. It could have claimed a similar victory at the State Fair a few months later, but an H1N1 outbreak in his 4-H dorm prematurely ended the competition.

Having a unique computer system also factored significantly in his education, as Noah is one of about 1,000 K-12 students throughout the state enrolled in MTS Minnesota Connections Academy, an online public school that offers individualized learning and flexible schedules. Fully credited and tuition-free, it connects kids with state-certified teachers and advisors, strong Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), Advanced Placement (AP) programs and, if necessary, more parental participation, all while tailoring daily workloads to the learning abilities and outside interests of each.

“Choice is a good thing—it makes us work harder,” says Laura Segala, manager of counseling services and PSEO coordinator for Connections. “So many students fall through the cracks at regular schools. Here, they can achieve their fullest potential thanks to the personalization, the one-on-one attention and the family involvement.”