After competing for over two hours, Morgan Gagnon, an eighth-grade student who attends Cornwall Central Middle School, survived an amazing 55 rounds and emerged as the first-place winner of the annual Orange County Spelling Bee held at Orange-Ulster BOCES on March 15.
As a result of her win, Morgan will compete on the national level at the Scripps National Spelling Bee to be held in the Washington, D.C. area from May 26 through May 31, 2019. She will also receive subscriptions to Britannica OnLine and Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Seventh-grade student Richard Deng from Monroe-Woodbury Middle School was runner up, and the third-place winner was Elizabeth Fan, a seventh-grader, who attends Valley Central Middle School.
The three finalists were presented with plaques. The second place winner will receive a Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, and both second and third-place winners received Barnes and Noble gift cards. Each bee participant received a ribbon and certificate.