Ivy Bridge Academy Students Advance in Global Debate Competition
Ivy Bridge Academy Students Advance to “Sweet 16” Round of IPPF Global Debate Competition
Ivy Bridge Academy debate students have even more to be proud of this season. A team from the highly competitive debate academy has advanced in a global competition. Debate teams from around the world entered the 2021-22 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) competition, but only 16 remain – including a team of students from Ivy Bridge Academy in Johns Creek. By advancing, the students remain eligible to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City, where the IPPF World Champion will be awarded a $10,000 grand prize.
The Ivy Bridge Academy team is the only team from Georgia to advance this round. Sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, the IPPF is the first and only competition that gives high school students from around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.
“These students analyzed and debated the role of the United States dollar in the world economy,” says William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and a founder of the IPPF. “The 16 teams that remain will compete in another written round of debates – in hopes of advancing to the IPPF Finals in New York City.“
The IPPF’s 21st annual competition began in October, as teams submitted qualifying round essays affirming or negating the IPPF topic, “Resolved: On balance, the hegemony of the United States dollar is detrimental to the world economy.” Those essays were reviewed by a committee, which determined the top 64 teams based on the overall quality of each 2,800-word essay.
In November, the top 64 teams began a single-elimination, written debate competition. Each team was assigned a position (affirmative or negative) and then volleyed papers back and forth with another team via email for the next six weeks. A panel of judges reviewed the essays and selected the winning teams. In the “Round of 64,” Ivy Bridge Academy advanced over Union County Vocational Technical Schools from Scotch Plains, New Jersey. In the “Top 32” round, Ivy Bridge Academy advanced over Whitmer High School from Toledo, Ohio.The “Sweet 16” round is now underway. Ivy Bridge Academy is competing against Potomac Oak from Rockville, Maryland.
The top 16 teams represent schools from nine U.S. states and Canada, Mongolia, and Singapore. On March 24, the “Elite 8” teams will be announced. If Ivy Bridge Academy advances, the team will win a trip to New York City to compete in the IPPF Finals on April 30, 2022, at the Harold Pratt House. The IPPF Finals give students the opportunity to supplement their written scholarships with oral advocacy – competing in debates in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in business, law and politics. Judges will include Brewer and New York University President Emeritus John Sexton, among others. The winning team will take home the “Brewer Cup” and the $10,000 grand prize.
The Ivy Bridge Academy team consists of the following students:
Aalif Biswas, Aiden Kim, Akshaya Poonepalle, Alex Ko, Ethan Nam, Gene Yoon, Hailey Shon, Hanming Sun, Srihansika Hansi Thadiparthi, Irene Tang, Jason Eappen, Lynden Baek, Nayan Revankar, Nina Thakur, Noah Yoon, Omer Mujawar, Prakhar Gupta, Rikhil Ranjit, and Yugeshwar Muralishar.
About the IPPF and the Brewer Foundation:
The IPPF was founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation and is now jointly administered with New York University. The program is available to all high schools around the world – public and private – for free. The IPPF is endorsed by leading forensic agencies, such as the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, the International Debate Education Association, the Impact Coalition, Associated Leaders of Urban Debate Leagues, and the National Debate Coaches Association.The Brewer Foundation is a private, non-profit organization funded by companies, individuals and the national litigation firm of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. With offices in New York and Dallas, the Foundation has achieved widespread recognition for its efforts to create, fund and manage a variety of educational outreach programs.
About Ivy Bridge Academy:
Ivy Bridge Academy has 3 Atlanta locations: Johns Creek, Cumming and Marietta where they teach debate and offer spring break and summer academic camps. More information can be found at www.ivydebate.com or email ibaafterschool@gmail.com.
Source: Patch.com