Brewer Foundation

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

Fall 2021 – Latest Debate Tournament Results

Novice Champions: Rithwik Tamilselvan and Karan Patell

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2021 Georgetown University National Tournament

MIDDLE SCHOOL NOVICE

Team Award
5th- Reyha Raghavaraju & Hannah Sundar
9th- Rajat Ravi & Vihaan Anumula
17th- Ray Ye & Jiin Choi
Speaker Award
5th- Reyha Raghavaraju
8th- Hannah Sundar

MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN

Team Award
9th- Fiona Qi & Sapna Annambhotla
9th- Dalton Sun & Aanya Baddela

HIGH SCHOOL FIRST – NOVICE

Team Award
Co- Champions
Rohana Suram & Sophia Shi
Kirtan Thakkar & Tony Wang
Speaker Award
1st- Sophia Shi
5th- Rohana Suram
13th- Dylan Mashini
17th- Kirtan Thakkar

HIGH SCHOOL – NOVICE

Team Award
3rd- Lakshmi Jojjavarapu & Yaashmita Senthilnathan
5th- Akshat Anand & Krishna Anand
9th- Mei Kumaran & Lakshya Jasti
9th- Dhruva Chayapathy & Zhengyao Liew
9th- Claire Park & Siri Manekar
Speaker Award
1st- Lakshmi Jojjavarapu
10th- Aishu Meyyappan
12th- Yaashmita Senthilnathan
13th- Zarina Wang
16th- Lakshya Jasti
17th- Akshat Anand
18th- Yasha Padmanabhan

HIGH SCHOOL – JUNIOR VARSITY

Team Award
2nd- Susant Chunduri & Aryan Bavera
3rd- Ruhi datar & Daniel Huang
17th- Mandy Yang & Paheli Patel

HIGH SCHOOL – VARSITY

5th- Noah Yoon & Irene Tang
5th- Anant Gautam & Prakhar Gupta

2021 IBA FALL Tournament

NOVICE

Speakers Award
1. Ashley Hua
2. Akshay Chenna
3. Rithwik Tamilselvan
4. Ethan Kwon
5. Alex Wang
Team Award
1. Rithwik Tamilselvan and Karan Patell
2. Akshay Chenna, Aneesh Thatta & Vanshika Puri
3. Ryan Guglani and Luke Rapaka
4. Vivian Chen and Evan Li
5. Hemanth Dogiparti, Tim Wang, and Janelle Yuan

JUNIOR VARSITY

Speakers Award
1. Samhitha Kovi
2. Jiin Choi
3. Devang Doshi
4. Lohisha Chinthalapudi
5. Tony Wang
Team Award
1. Devang Doshi and Naren Kumar
2. Kirtan Thakkar and Tony Wang
3. Ray Ye & Jiin Choi
4. Sam Kovi & Lohisha Chinthalapudi
5. Zarina Wang & Aishu Meyyappan

VARSITY

Speakers Award
1. Gene Yoon
2. Krishna Anand
3. Fiona Qi
4. Aryan Bavera
5. Susant Chunduri
Team Award
1. Irene Tang & Noah Yoon
2. Gene Yoon & Revankar
3. Krishna Anand & Akshat Anand
4. Susant Chunduri & Aryan Bavera
5. Lynden Baek & Alex Ko

Thank you to everyone for your participation and hard work! We are so proud of all of you!
Thank you Coaches for your dedication to helping all students reach their potential!

2021 MS Tournament of Champions at University of Kentucky

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2021 MS Tournament of Champions at University of Kentucky

Speaker Award Champion:  Rikhil Ranjit

4th Eshawnvie Kallu
6th Neha Mahesh

Team Award Champion: Rikhil Ranjit & Neha Mahesh

9th Anna Yang & Ananya Rajagopalan
17th Aanya Baddela & Eshawnvie Kallu

Novice Tournament

Teams Award
1.  Kshiti Tadimarri & Riya Kinnarkar
2.  Hannah Liu & Sophia Huang
3.  Aashvi Shah & Aadi Shah & Sarah Verma
4.  Rithvik Jain & Kartik Modak & Shilpa Warrier
5.  Isabel Chen & Miya Ji

Speakers Award
1. Riya Kinnarkar
2.  Kshiti Tadimarri
3. Aashvi Shah
4.  Hannah Liu
5.  Miya Ji

ASP MS Tournament

Teams Award
1. Arnav Gupta & Suhuan Addula
2. Amelia Duerr & Kate Ding
3. Reyha Raghavaraju & Fatima Ahmad
4.  Vijit Tatia & Saatvik Kallem
5. Rishabh Sangodkar & Tanush Nimmalapudi

Speakers Award
1.  Reyha Raghavaraju
2.  Fatima Ahmad
3.  Amelia Duerr
4.  Kate Ding
5.  Divij Motwani

ASP ES Tournament

Teams Award
1. Ananya Kommuri & Sophia Zhan & Lianghe Zhang
2. Junwoo (Ryan) Lee-Kim & Armaan Punjani
3. Ronak Bhatt & McKenzie Wright
4. Pavani Pai & Ruhi Singareddy
5. Sophie Zaprudsky & Leo Leger

Speakers Award
1. Ananya Kommuri
2. Allyson Zhang
3.  Sophia Partin
4.  Prakhya Mudigonda
5. Leo Leger

JV Tournament

Speakers Award
1. Aditya Mukker
2. Yao Liew
3. Claire Park
4.  Kevin Liu
5. Dhruva Chayapathy

Varsity Tournament

Speakers Award
1. Rikhil Ranjit
2. Neha Mahesh
3. Akshat Anand
4. Gene Yoon
5. Susant Chunduri

Ivy Bridge Academy Students Advance to Finals in IPPF Debate

Students from Ivy Bridge Academy are preparing to compete as finalists in the 20th annual International Public Policy Forum

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Students from Ivy Bridge Academy are preparing to compete as finalists in the 20th annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) global debate competition. The team has advanced to the “Elite 8” round of the IPPF, a global debate contest sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University (NYU).

The IPPF is a one-of-its-kind collaboration between a law firm and major university providing a debate platform through which high school students hone their debate and advocacy skills on issues of public policy in written and oral debates. Students are debating the topic, “Resolved: The benefits of artificial intelligence outweigh the harms.”

The IPPF Finals competition will occur virtually in 2021 for the first time in IPPF history due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the safety and well-being of IPPF competitors. The IPPF Finals will take place on Saturday, May 1. Ivy Bridge Academy will be one of eight teams – representing schools from five U.S. states and two foreign countries– competing for a $10,000 grand prize and the title of “IPPF World Champion.”

“The students who competed in this worldwide debate program this year reflect the qualities that lead to excellence – effort, energy and enthusiasm,” says William A. Brewer III, chairman of the Brewer Foundation and founder of the IPPF. “We are especially proud of these students who have earned the opportunity to compete in an advocacy forum unlike any other – the IPPF Finals. They will now supplement months of written scholarship with oral advocacy in pursuit of the title of 2021 IPPF World Champion.”

“Despite the challenges students around the globe are facing due to the pandemic, these students chose to participate in a rigorous academic competition and have excelled,” Brewer added. “We look forward to seeing them compete – and celebrating their achievement – during the IPPF Finals.”

The IPPF is the 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. The debate competition was founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation to promote academic achievement and public advocacy. The IPPF received more entries this year than it has since 2016 – making this year highly competitive. The 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 2020, the “Round of 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. The next two rounds also took place in written form.The IPPF Finals give students the opportunity to participate in oral debates in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in debate, business, law and politics.

This year, IPPF judges will include Brewer and New York University President Emeritus Dr. John Sexton, among others. The winning team will take home the “Brewer Cup” and the $10,000 grand prize.

A competition bracket for the IPPF Finals is available on the IPPF website: www.ippfdebate.com. The “Elite 8” teams are:

  • Ivy Bridge Academy
  • Peak to Peak Charter School from Lafayette, Colorado
  • Slovak National Team from Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Troy High School from Troy, Michigan
  • Potomac Oak from Rockville, Maryland
  • Hobby School of Ulaanbaatar from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • The Hockaday School from Dallas, Texas Montgomery
  • Blair High School from Silver Spring, Maryland

Ivy Bridge Academy Students Competing Include:

  • Aanan Biswas,
  • Alex Doan,
  • Benjamin Moon,
  • Brian Shon,
  • Elly Kang,
  • Matthew Kim
  • Nina Thakur,
  • Noah Yoon,
  • Omer Mujawar,
  • Prakhar Gupta,
  • Tianyu Dong,
IPPF IBA Team Photo

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 offers a debate program that provides a chance for students to improve public speaking skills and engage with current events through the activity of Debate. Currently all of IBA’s debate classes are virtual. IBA prides themselves in having passionate, skilled coaches that teach students to have the confidence and experience to debate not only in local but also national tournaments.

SOURCE: Patch.com

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Ivy Bridge Academy Students Excel in Harvard University National Tournament

47 th ANNUAL HARVARD NATIONAL DEBATE TOURNAMENT: 2/12-2/15/2021 — Cambridge, MA/US

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Ivy Bridge Academy’s (IBA) debate students competed virtually in the 47th Harvard University National Debate Tournament the weekend of February 12-15, 2021. The tournament was held virtually this year. IBA is very proud of all our students’ accomplishments and even won the Middle School Team championship!

The Harvard University debate tournament is one of the largest academic competitions in the world! The student competitors represent the best and brightest young people across the United States and the globe.

2021 47th HARVARD UNIVERSITY NATIONAL DEBATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

Middle School Teams Results

47th Harvard National MS Champions!!!
Rikhil Ranjit & Neha Mahesh

Finished in 9th place:
Lakshmi Jojjavarapu & Yaashmita Senthilnathan
Finished in 33rd place:
Gene Yoon & Ethan Nam
Arya Somasundaram & Naren Kumar

Speaker Award: 23rd
Naren Kumar

HS/ Novice Teams Results

Finished in 5th place:
Manas Singh & Shaomin Kee
Finished in top 9th place:
Grace Yang & Akshaya Poonepalle
Mandy Yang & Paheli Patel

Speaker award: 9th place
Shaomin Kee

HS/ Junior Varsity Teams Results

Finished in 17th place:
Anant Gautam & Prakhar Gupta
Finished in 33rd place:
Pranaya Balaji & Karthik Jayaram
Nina Thakur & Yugeshwar Muralidhar
Susant Chunduri & Aryan Bavera

Speaker Award: 7th place
Anant Gautam

47th Harvard University Qualified IBA Debate Teams

IBA MS Debate Teams
Maya Nagia and Rohana Suram
Brandon Yoo and David Park
Vibhor Gupta and Vishnu Arumugam
Ritvik Shah and Vijay Devassy
Ryan Li and Dessie Yang
Claire Park and Siri Manekar
Eshawnvie Kallu and Ella Liu
Sneha Ramineni and Anish Raja
Aanya Baddela and Charlie Zhang
Jai Melinamani and Brent Shi
Spoorthi Kakarla and Aditi Kothari
Arya Somasundaram and Naren Kumar
Lakshmi Jojjavarapu and Yaashmita Senthilnathan
Fiona Qi and Alexis Liu
Rikhil Ranjit and Neha Mahesh
Dalton Sun and Madison Kang
Gene Yoon and Ethan Nam

IBA HS/Novice Teams
Mannan Singh and Hansi Thadiparthi
Jennifer He and Sabrina Yang
Dev Iyer and Ibrahim Mohammad
Manas Singh and Shaomin Kee
Mandy Yang and Paheli Patel
Lynden Baek and Alex Ko
Nayan Revankar and Dhanvin Yajaman
Jeffrey Shen and Tej Thakkar
Kirtan Thakkar and Devang Doshi
Gabriel Melvin and Alexander Doan
Grace Yang and Akshaya Poonepalle

IBA HS/Junior Varsity Teams
Aiden Kim and Aalif Biswas
Anant Gautam and Prakhar Gupta
Yugeshwar Muralidhar and Nina Thakur
Pranaya Balaji and Karthik Jayaram
Susant Chunduri and Aryan Bavera

IBA HS/Varsity Team
Noah Yoon and Irene Tang

Upcoming Tournament Information

2021 Open Debate Tournament Registrations:

  1. Novice Tournament 4th-9th grade (Novice class students only): March 5th-6th, 2021
  2. MIDDLE SCHOOL TOC AND HS CLUB NATIONALS AT UK 5-12th grades (JV and Varsity Class students only): May8th-10th, 2021
    ONLINE

Register Online HERE:
https://ivydebate.com/academic-camps/debate-tournament-registration/
Thank you to everyone who participated in the debate tournament and for also continuing to make debate an important part of their lives. IBA is thankful for our students and ability to share our passion for teaching public speaking & debate. We look forward to the day when we can teach in-person classes again.

2020 Georgetown Fall National Tournament Results

Ivy Bridge Academy Students 2020 Georgetown Fall National Debate Tournament Results

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Ivy Bridge Academy would like to recognize our debate students who recently performed extremely well in a National Debate Tournament that was held virtually. IBA is so proud to have students that work so hard to excel and it shows consistently in National and International Tournaments. The 2020 Georgetown Fall National Debate Tournament was held 10/9 – 10/11/2020.

2020 Georgetown Fall National Tournament Results

Resolved: The United States federal government should enact the Medicare-For-All Act of 2019.

Congratulations Ivy Bridge Academy Students!!!

Middle School/ Novice

Finished 2nd place: Ananya Rajagopalan & Saanvi Sinha

Speaker Award

3rd Place: Ananya Rajagopalan
8th Place: Saanvi Sinha

Middle School Champions!

Neha Mahesh & Rikhil Ranjit

9th place: Gene Yoon & Ethan Nam

Speaker Award

2nd Place: Rikhil Ranjit
9th Place: Neha Mahesh
14th Place: Owen Wu

High School/ Novice

All IBA 3 teams are Co-Champions!
Susant Chunduri & Aryan Bavera
Akshaya Poonepalle & Aesha Shah
Ruhi Datar & Daniel Huang

5th Place: Paheli Patel & Mandy Yang

Speaker Award

6th Place: Paheli Patel
7th Place: Mandy Yang
8th Place: Aryan Bavera
15th Place: Susan Chunduri

High School/ Junior Varsity

3rd place: Pranaya Balaji & Karthik Jayaram
5th place: Aalif Biswas & Aiden Kim
9th place: Anant Gautam & Prakhar Gupta

Speaker Award

9th Place: Prakhar Gupta
11th Place: Anant Gautam

October IBA Novice Tournament Results

Teams

1st – Claire Jiang and Anishka Majumdar
2nd – Hughes Liu and Yasha Padmanabhan
3rd – Hailey Culp and Layla Patel

Speakers

1st – Yasha Padmanabhan
2nd – Gowri Gowda
3rd – Nicholas Pirone

October IBA Junior Varsity Tournament Results

Teams

1st- Brandon Yoo and David Park
2nd- Eshawnvie Kallu and Ella Liu
3rd- Aditi Kothari and Rhea Nair

Speaker Award

1st- Ella Liu
2nd- Eshawnvie Kallu
3rd- Brandon Yoo

Ivy Bridge Academy Middle School Teams:

Jui Park and Anna Yang, Saanvi Sinha and Ananya Rajagopalan, Owen Wu and Alice Zhang, Risha Kohli and Skylar Song, Siri Manekar and Claire Park, Neha Mahesh and Rikhil Ranjit, Harsh Punjabi and Jai Melinamani, Raunak Gupta and Soham Verma, Brandon Yoo and David Park, Eshawnvie Kallu and Ella Liu, Gene Yoon and Ethan Nam

Ivy Bridge Academy High School Teams:

Ruhi Datar and Daniel Huang, Mandy Yang and Paheli Patel, Dev Iyer and Ibrahim Mohamma, Akshaya Poonepalle and Aesha Shah, Nayan Revankar and Dhanvin Yajaman, Lynden Baek and Alex Ko, Susant Chunduri and Aryan Bavera, Sabrina Yang, Pranaya Balaji and Karthik Jayaram, Yugeshwar Muralidhar and Nina Thakur, Amy Ajay and Raksha Govind, Anant Gautam and Prakhar Gupta, Noah Yoon and Daniel So, Aiden Kim and Aalif Biswas

Learn more about Ivy Bridge Academy and their debate programs at www.ivydebate.com.

Source: Patch.com

COVID-19 Coronavirus Information from Ivy Bridge Academy

***** UPDATED TUESDAY, June 1, 2021: *****

COVID-19 Update for IBA Summer Camp Programs 2021

Registering now for IBA Academic Summer Camps 2021! Elementary School | Middle School | High School

We are offering the choice of Online Learning, or Face-to-Face Learning at our Johns Creek Campus & Marietta Campus. We understand each family is unique in their health concerns, and want to provide the choices that address such concerns. We will continue to adhere to health guidelines for the safety of our students and families.

New Johns Creek Campus Location!

We are proud to announce the opening of our new IBA Johns Creek Campus at 10700 State Bridge Rd, Suite 7, Johns Creek, Georgia 30022.

IBA Johns Creek

REGISTER TODAY FOR IBA 2021 SUMMER CAMPS

***** UPDATED THURSDAY, July 10, 2020: *****

COVID-19 Update for IBA After-School Public Speaking & Debate Program SY 2020-2021

Registrations for IBA After-School Public Speaking & Debate Program for Elementary School & Middle School students are now open! The after-school program is normally held at the elementary & middle school where the child is a student. (See list of schools where our IBA After-School Public Speaking & Debate Program is available here: Elementary Schools | Middle Schools)

However, due to concerns about the continuing risks of COVID-19 all of our After-School Public Speaking & Debate Programs will be CONDUCTED ONLINE FOR SEMESTER ONE. We will continue to monitor the situation and health guidelines in determining the best path forward for Semester Two. Our tentative plans are to resume in school classes for Semester Two as long as the conditions allow, and adhering to the health guidelines.

REGISTER TODAY FOR IBA AFTER-SCHOOL PUBLIC SPEAKING & DEBATE PROGRAM: ES | MS

***** UPDATED THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020: *****

COVID-19 Update for Summer Camps 2020

For the safety of our students, and their loved ones, ALL IBA Summer Camp Classes will be conducted ONLINE.

Please continue to select your preferred Campus Location during registration so that we can maintain records for when we resume on campus classes.

REGISTER TODAY FOR IBA 2020 SUMMER CAMPS

***** UPDATED FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020: *****

A COVID-19 Update from Ivy Bridge Academy 3/13/2020

The safety of our students and staff is the top priority of Ivy Bridge Academy. We are closely monitoring the increasing spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and doing our best to determine what is best for everyone with respect to classes and tutoring.

As of today, March 13, 2020, IBA’s schedule updates are as follows:

  1. IBA is open Saturday (3/14/20) and Sunday (3/15/20) with a regular class schedule. During these classes, teachers and students will set up and learn how to meet via online class going forward for a period of time.
  2. From Monday, March 16, 2020, IBA’s locations are closed but online class will be held at the same time as the regular class. If students have questions or need to change their schedule time they can email to the teacher directly. We will reopen to our normal class schedule when schools reopen.
  3. All After-School Debate Programs are paused until schools reopen and we will do our best to make up the missed class time. We will be in contact with parents regarding missed classes once we have worked details out with the schools.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to monitor this evolving situation.

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Information from Ivy Bridge Academy 3/10/2020

Ivy Bridge Academy is closely monitoring the Coronavirus situation in order to make the appropriate decisions in regards to our After-School Programs, Tutoring and Weekend Debate Sessions. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our highest priority. Due to Fulton County Schools being closed today, March 10, and now also tomorrow, March 11, we did not/will not hold our tutoring sessions at our locations or After-School programs at various schools. We will follow Fulton County’s protocol as far as when classes will be held.

Ivy Bridge Academy is always vigilant about keeping our centers clean and we are taking extra precautions during this time. The rooms are disinfected regularly and we have hand sanitizer and wipes on hand at our locations.

Online classes: Ivy Bridge Academy has worked hard to be able to offer online viewing of the tutoring or debate sessions at our locations if your child is unable to come to class due to the Coronavirus. If you have questions about this, please contact the center director.
We will continue to monitor the information issued by reliable sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health.

As always, we encourage you to use your judgment and make appropriate decisions based on what is best for your student and family.

After School Programs

Fulton County Schools just announced that school will be closed again tomorrow, March 11. Schools are expected to reopen on Thursday.

There will be no After School Programs while school is not in session.

Ivy Bridge Academy will communicate soon on how classes will be made up due to school closings from the Coronavirus.

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IBA Students Outstanding Performance at the 2020 Harvard University Debate Tournament!

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR IBA STUDENTS FOR THEIR STAND OUT PERFORMANCE!

46th Harvard University National Debate Tournament 2020

It was another year of outstanding stand out performances by IBA students at this year’s Harvard University National Debate Tournament! We are so proud of all the students and grateful to the parents who have been so supportive of the trip to Harvard! Congratulations and thank you!

Ivy Bridge Academy Students at Harvard University 2020 National Debate TournamentIvy Bridge Academy Students at 46th Harvard University National Debate Tournament

46th Harvard University National Debate Tournament 2020

Ivy Bridge Academy (IBA) 56 debate students traveled to Harvard University the weekend of February 15-17, 2020 to participate in a 46th Harvard National Debate Tournament. IBA is very proud of their student’s accomplishments as they placed in the top 20 in each category amongst hundreds of peers.

Harvard university debate tournament is one of the largest academic competition in the world! The student competitors represent the best and brightest young people across the United States and the globe. At the tournament, students have the chance to compete, build their skills, meet other students from across the country, and, as it overlaps with the high school tournament, students can learn from watching high school varsity final rounds in person.

Where: Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
When: February 15-17th
Topic: Resolved: The United States should replace means-tested welfare programs with a universal basic income.

Results of IBA students in the Harvard University Tournament

Novice:

Finished 9th, Octafinalists: Albert Cho & Eric Cho
Finished 17th, Doubles: Tarun Ramanathan & Jason Eappen
Speaker Awards (out of 382): Tarun Ramanathan (3rd,) and Jason Eappen (25th)

Junior Varsity:

Finished 17th, Doubles: Nina Thakur & Yugeshwar Muralidhar
Speaker Awards (Out of 516): Yugeshwar Muralidhar (14th,) and Nina Thakur (26th)

Middle School:

Finished 9th, Octafinalists: Irene Tang & Ashley Wang; Aalif Biswas & Anant Gautam; Pranaya Balaji & Karthik Jayaram
Speakers (out of 207): Pranaya Balaji (4th,) Anant Gautam (14th,) Ashley Wang (27th,) and Aalif Biswas (29th)

Attendance List

Middle School:

  • Neha Mahesh and Shristi Roy
  • Rikhil Ranjit and Hanming Sun
  • Aalif Biswas and Anant Gautam
  • Prakhar Gupta and Benjamin Moon
  • Saket Churiwal and Vibhor Gupta
  • Aryan Bavera and Susant Chunduri
  • Pranav Bommareddy and Dhanvin Yajaman
  • Krishna Anand and Ray Ye
  • Anna Yang and Daniel Huang
  • Jasmin Singh and Jolyn Zhang
  • Pranaya Balaji and Karthik Jayaram
  • Ethan Nam and Gene Yoon
  • Dev Iyer and Manas Singh
  • Shaomin Kee and Sabrina Yang
  • Irene Tang and Ashley Wang
  • Agastya Vissa and Rajal Nadkar

High School:

  • Kayla Kim and Akshaya Poonepalle
  • Albert Cho and Eric Cho
  • Tarun Ramanathan and Jason Eappen
  • Jonathan Li and Kevin Niu
  • Alex Doan and Harrison Fei
  • Aesha Shah and Noah Yoon
  • Aditya Palled and Amogh Tadvai
  • Cindy Chen and Lakshya Jasti
  • Elly Kang and Paris Song
  • Nina Thakur and Yugeshwar Muralidhar
  • Stella Chen and Melissa Liu
  • Mayukh Keelar and Tracy Xu

Ivy Bridge Academy offers weekend debate teams and an After-School Debate program that provides a chance for students to improve public speaking skills and engage with current events through the activity of Debate.

Published on Patch.com

Ivy Bridge Academy Debaters Perform Well in National Tournament at Georgetown University

Ivy Bridge Academy at 2019 Georgetown Debate Tournament

Ivy Bridge Academy (IBA) debate students traveled to Georgetown University over the weekend of Oct. 12-13 for a national debate tournament. IBA had seven teams competing in the middle school division, with the team of Rikhil Ranjit and Hanming Sun qualifying for the final rounds. Students debated the topic of European trade with China, giving them vital insight and knowledge about current events. The students also got a chance to tour the prestigious university, and it was an overall invaluable experience for them.

Debaters excelled in the individual speaker awards with Prakhar Gupta finishing in 5th place, Hanming Sun in 7th and Rikhil Ranjit in 9th place. The Novice team of Adya Bhatta and Stella Chen were Champions. Individiual speaker awards at the Novice level were Adya Bhatta in 3rd, Stella Chen in 5th, Nina Thakur in 7th and Suraj Singareddy in 9th place.

IBA had two Junior Varsity teams, Albert Cho and Elly Kang who were Semifinalists and Sonal Churiwal and Melissa Liu finishing as Octafinalists.

The Varsity team of Tracy Xu and Mayukh Keelar were Octafinalists in the tournament.

Middle School Teams

Ethan Nam and Gene Yoon — Top 40
Krishna Anand and Karthik Jayaram — Double-octafinalist
Benjamin Moon and Prakhar Gupta — Octafinalist
Neha Mahesh and Shristi Roy — Octafinalist

Irene Tang and Ashley Wang — Octafinalist
Aalif Biswas and Anant Gautam — Quarterfinalist
Rikhil Ranjit and Hanming Sun — Finalist

5th speaker — Prakhar Gupta
7th speaker — Hanming Sun
9th speaker — Rikhil Ranjit

Novice

Akshaya Poonepalle and Jason Eappen — Octafinalist
Yugesh Muralidhar and Nina Thakur — Semifinalist
Adya Bhatta and Stella Chen — Champions

3rd speaker — Adya Bhatta
5th speaker — Stella Chen
7th speaker — Nina Thakur
9th speaker — Suraj Singareddy

Junior Varsity
Sonal Churiwal and Melissa Liu — Octafinalist
Albert Cho and Elly Kang — Semifinalist

Varsity
Tracy Xu and Mayukh Keelar — Octafinalist

IBA is so proud of all of our students and the hard work put forth to compete at a national level. Each competition gives the debaters a chance to continue to learn, improve, work together and demonstrate their accomplishments in tournaments.

Source: Patch.com

IBA Students Champions at National Speech & Debate Association Nationals – 2019 – Dallas TX

Congratulations to Ivy Bridge Academy students Brian Yoo and Prajwal Saokar for winning the NSDA Middle School Public Forum Nationals 2019!

NSDA MS PF Debate Champions

Place: 1st
Code: GJ Saokar & Yoo
Name: Saokar & Yoo
Institution: Riverwatch
Round: Champion
Ballots:

R1 W 28.4, 28.5 (56.9)
R2 W 29.5, 30.0 (59.5)
R3 W 29.0, 27.0 (56.0)
R4 W 29.9, 29.5 (59.4)
R5 L 29.0, 29.5 (58.5)
R6 W 30.0, 29.0 (59.0)
R8 W W W (3-0)
R9 W W W (3-0)
R10 W W W (3-0)
R11 W W W W L (4-1)

See Full Results for NSDA Middle School Nations 2019 – Dallas, TX/US

Patch.com Article

National Speech & Debate Association Nationals 2019 – Dallas, TX
1st Place Winners – Public Forum MS
Prajwal Saokar (L) | Brian Yoo (R)
NSDA MS PF Debate Champions
Proud Champions! Great Job!!!