Way to Go: Savannah Legg, Middle Island

Longwood High School senior Savannah Legg won a top award for demonstrating extraordinary effort and skill this robotics competition season.

Legg, 18, received the annual Fred Breithut Regional MVP Award from the School-Business Partnerships of Long Island. The award was given to one student among those on 51 teams in the 2015 Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

Each team nominated one member, and the teams' coaches penned essays endorsing the picks, Legg said.

"I put a lot of time into robotics club," Legg said. Of her coaches' essay, she said: "It was one of the most heartfelt things anyone has ever done for me."

Legg's robotics involvement includes writing her team's Chairman's Essay, used to select the winner of the competition's prestigious Chairman's Award, as well as her team's essay for the Woody Flowers Award, which honors a mentor. She was coach of her team's robot driving group.

Legg is her school's drum major, president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and a member of the National Honor Society. She plays flute and saxophone in local and school ensembles.

"Savannah is not your conventional team member," said Jen Stehle, co-adviser of Longwood's robotics team. "She has an extraordinary skill of capturing the attention of audiences, an enthusiastic way of expressing the passion she feels about robotics, and the ability to clearly demonstrate her ideas."