Rumson seventh grader Josie Schneider is the Forrestdale School spelling champ.

She won first place at the school’s spelling bee on Jan. 26. Fifth grader Charlie Patton was first runner-up in the competition.

Schneider’s championship win came with the correct spelling of  “sedimentary.” Patton got into the championship round with his correct spelling of the word “antonym.”

Twenty seven students in grades four through eight who had done the best in their classroom spelling bees participated in the schoolwide event.

Next up for 12-year-old Josie is the competition at the county level at Monmouth University in February.

Seventh-grade Social Studies teacher Keith Laviola, described as “king of the spelling bee” by Forrestdale School Principal Jennifer Gibbons, organized the event and acted as emcee. Fifth grade teacher Aimee Humbert was wordsmith, and judges were Forrestdale School English Language Arts teachers Caroline DeWyngaert, Carol Tagliareni, and Lori Zucker.

— Edited press release from the Rumson School District