Schools
Amity Regional HS Advances In International Debate Competition
The school's debate team has reached the Top 32 in the event, which is sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University.
From Brewers Attorneys: Students from Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge have advanced to the “Top 32” round of the International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) debate competition. Sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, the IPPF is the first and only debate contest that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.
By advancing, the students remain eligible to win a $10,000 grand prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City on April 25, 2020. Amity Regional High School is the only team from Connecticut to advance this round.
“The advancing debaters excel at this unique test of research, writing and advocacy skills,” said William A. Brewer III, chairman of the Brewer Foundation and a founder of the IPPF. “These students now advance to the Round of 32 – and a step closer to the IPPF Finals weekend in New York.”
This year, hundreds of teams submitted qualifying round essays affirming or negating the 2019-20 IPPF topic, “Resolved: When in conflict, a nation’s self-interest should outweigh its international commitments to migrants.” Those essays were reviewed by a committee, which determined the “Round of 64” teams based on the overall quality of each 2,800-word essay.
In November, the “Round of 64” teams then 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. A panel of judges reviewed the essays in the order they were presented and selected the winning teams. In that round, Amity Regional High School advanced over a team from Generation’s School from Karachi, Pakistan.
The “Top 32” round begins immediately. Amity Regional High School will compete in a written debate against Jasper High School from Plano, Texas. This year, the IPPF received qualifying round essays from more than 150 teams, representing schools in 28 U.S. states and 19 countries. In the top 32 round, there are six international teams from schools in Canada, China, Mongolia, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.
The winning teams will be announced on February 11 and will proceed to the “Sweet 16” round. On March 16, the “Elite 8” teams will be announced. Those teams will travel to New York City on an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City. The Finals will take place on April 25, 2020, at the Harold Pratt House.
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. The winning team will take home the “Brewer Cup” and a $10,000 grand prize.
The “Top 32” teams:
Amity Regional High School from Woodbridge, Connecticut
Brentwood College School (#2) from Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Coronado High School from Henderson, Nevada
DuPont Manual High School from Louisville, Kentucky
Enreach Shanghai from Shanghai, China
Enreach Beijing from Beijing, China
Hamilton High School (#1) from Chandler, Arizona
Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies from Yongin, Republic of Korea
Hathaway Brown School from Shaker Heights, Ohio
Hobby School of Ulaanbaatar from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Hunter College High School from New York, New York
Ivy Bridge Academy from Alpharetta, Georgia
Jasper High School from Plano, Texas
Ladue Horton Watkins High School (#1) from Saint Louis, Missouri
Ladue Horton Watkins High School (#2) from Saint Louis, Missouri
Millburn High School from Millburn, New Jersey
Mountain House High School from Mountain House, California
New Hope Academy (#1) from Torrance, California
New Hope Academy (#2) from Torrance, California
North Allegheny Senior High School from Wexford, Pennsylvania
Peak to Peak Charter School from Lafayette, Colorado
Plano West Senior High School from Plano, Texas
Shanley High School from Fargo, North Dakota
St. Mark’s School of Texas from Dallas, Texas
The Olympia Schools from Hanoi, Vietnam
Union County Magnet High School from Scotch Plains, New Jersey
University High School from Tucson, Arizona
Whitestone High School (#1) from Delta Junction, Alaska
Whitestone High School (#2) from Delta Junction, Alaska
Whitmer High School from Toledo, Ohio
Woodward Academy from College Park, Georgia
Wooster High School from Wooster, Ohio
The press release was produced by Brewers Attorneys . The views are the author's own.
