A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Savannah Sonaty

For Savannah Sonaty, teaching was never a part of some lifelong plan. It grew naturally from her role as a mom. When her three children were young, she spent her days at home with them. Once they started school, she began volunteering in their classrooms, discovering that she loved the energy of working with kids.

“When my youngest went to kindergarten, I knew I wanted to go back to work, but I wanted to stay on their same schedule,” Sonaty said. “I went into teaching, and I’ve loved it ever since.”

After earning her degree from Purdue University Northwest, Sonaty began teaching at Tri-Township Schools. She taught elsewhere for three years, but the small, close-knit environment of Tri-Township called her back. This year marks her fourth year as a fourth grade teacher in the school corporation, and it’s been a perfect fit from the beginning.

“Fourth grade is such a fun age,” Sonaty said. “They’re independent enough to do things on their own, but they’re still kids. They’re funny, they get jokes, and they don’t have that teenage attitude yet.”

Her connection with students deepened even further when she stepped into coaching the school’s robotics program. At first, she volunteered for a simple reason: her son wanted to compete, and there weren’t enough coaches to cover every team.

“I got thrown in not knowing anything, but the kids loved it,” Sonaty said. “I couldn’t let them not have a team, so I decided to do it.”

That decision has shaped her life ever since. The robotics program now includes three elementary school teams, two middle school teams, and two high school teams, with practices held four days a week. Last year, Tri-Township made it all the way to the State competition, and one team advanced to the World competition.

“It was really cool, because we’re such a small town,” Sonaty said. “People don’t always know where Tri-Township is, but when we went to the State and World competition, suddenly people recognized us. We felt amazed that people knew who we were.”

The program is about more than building robots. Students learn teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. Sonaty recalled how her team had to collaborate with international students at Worlds who didn’t speak English, relying on Google Translate and written notes to strategize together.

“They lean on each other,” she said. “In sports, it can be easy to blame someone for a mistake. With robotics, it doesn’t work that way. They’re in it together.”

Sonaty credits strong community support for helping the program grow. Parents, local sponsors, and volunteers have stepped in to provide technical expertise, snacks, fundraising help, and encouragement. Her husband, a software engineer, even teaches coding lessons to the students.

“Everybody has something they can bring to the table,” Sonaty said. “I’ll take any help, because there’s so much to learn and so many kids who want to be a part of it.”

Growing up in North Judson, Sonaty always valued the closeness of small schools and tight communities. It’s the kind of environment she wanted for her own children and now fosters for her students. Beyond the classroom and robotics lab, she gives back through Westville Tri Kappa, helping with the Pumpkin Festival, Christmas baskets, and local music events. Her students and her own kids remain her greatest motivation.

“My kids have shaped who I am,” Sonaty said. “They’ve taught me to believe in myself, and I want my students to feel that, too. I want them to be proud, confident, and not afraid to take risks.”

For Sonaty, the lesson she hopes her students carry with them is simple: success is about trying your best, no matter the outcome.