General Douglas MacArthur High School junior Melody Hong won first place in the prestigious Long Island Brain Bee. She was joined by her science teachers Mr. Zausin, left, and Dr. Friedman, right.A junior at General Douglas MacArthur High School made school history by placing first in the prestigious Long Island Brain Bee, held on March 2 at the Hofstra University Zucker School of Medicine.

Melody Hong is the first-place winner among more than 60 students from over 25 schools across Long Island and in New York City a first for MacArthur High School. She will continue to the National Brain Bee, to be held in April at the University of Central Florida. At the Long Island competition, Melody interacted with doctors and medical students who showed participants realistic examples of the body's neurological structures, such as tissue, a spinal cord or a model of the brain. She then took a two-part exam based on her observations and excelled. Melody thanked the teachers who have supported her along the way, including science teachers Dr. Friedman and Mr. Zausin.

"With these academic endeavors, when we achieve success, underclassmen will also see that and say, I can accomplish this too,'" Melody said. "I hope this isn't the last time we see MacArthur as a first-place winner."