Mrs. Copello is leading the national ocean science bowl competition team. Much like the school’s academic team, the NOSB is a series of trivia-based competitions where teams compete against each other to see who can answer the questions the fastest while still being correct. Each year, Mrs. Copello helps the team study and prepare for the competitions by holding meetings in her classroom every week. If there are enough people in Osceola’s NOSB group, then it is possible to hold mock competitions to provide extra practice for the competitors. Right now, this year’s team is made up of five people with one alternate.

Another similarity between the NOSB and the academic team is the way the competitions are set up. The competitions are set up at different levels. The first level is the regional level which is held at USF St. Pete. According to Mrs. Copello, the regional level that they compete in is at USF St. Pete and consists of teams that are placed in pools (about 18 teams).  Each team plays all other teams in its pool to determine final rounds of competition.  A game consists of two 6-minute buzzer rounds where teams answer toss-up questions and bonus questions which are multiple choice or short answer.  Between these two rounds are two Team Challenge questions that teams answer together.  The champion is then sent to the national competition which takes place in April.  The location changes every year. This year, finals are held in North Carolina and takes place over 4 days.  Students get to go on field trips and do hands-on activities in addition to competing.

In the past, the NOSB team has almost always ranked in the middle of the team pool. “This year, however, we hope to rank first or second overall,” said Mrs. Copello. 

“We had a greater interest pool, but as the team requires outside studying, many people tend to shy away from it.  I am pleased with the people that are sticking with it…we have about 5 consistent members,” said Mrs. Copello.

 According to Mrs. Copello, the two top teams at the national level get to win trips and practice hands-on science in the marine science field.  Sometimes these locations are out of country.