Schools
Amity Regional HS Advances To 'Sweet 16' In Debate Contest
The school is competing in the IPPF international high school debate competition.
From Amity Schools: Debate teams from around the world entered the 2019-20 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) competition, but only 16 remain – including a team of students from Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge, Connecticut.
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. 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 is awarded a $10,000 grand prize. The Amity Regional High School team is the only team from Connecticut to advance this round.
“These students analyzed and debated the complex and timely issue of how countries address immigration,” says William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and a founder of the IPPF. “The remaining 16 teams have emerged to compete in one final written round – in hopes of earning a ticket to New York to debate this topic on a global stage.”
The IPPF’s 19th annual competition began in October, as teams submitted qualifying round essays affirming or negating the 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 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 in the order they were presented and selected the winning teams. In the “Round of 64,” Amity Regional High School advanced over Generation’s School from Karachi, Pakistan. In the “Top 32” round, Amity Regional High School advanced over Jasper High School from Plano, Texas.
The “Sweet 16” round is now underway. Amity Regional High School is competing against Ladue Horton Watkins High School (Team #1) from Saint Louis, Missouri. The top 16 teams represent schools from nine U.S. states and Canada, China, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, and Vietnam.
On March 16, the “Elite 8” teams will be announced. If Amity Regional High School advances, the team will travel to New York to compete in the IPPF Finals on April 25, 2020. 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 “Sweet 16” teams are:
Amity Regional High School from Woodbridge, Connecticut
Brentwood College School from Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada
DuPont Manual High School from Louisville, Kentucky
Enreach Shanghai from Shanghai, China
Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies from Yongin, Republic of Korea
Hobby School of Ulaanbaatar from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Hunter College High School from New York, New York
Hathaway Brown School from Shaker Heights, Ohio
Ladue Horton Watkins High School (#1) from Saint Louis, Missouri
Ladue Horton Watkins High School (#2) from Saint Louis, Missouri
Mountain House High School from Mountain House, California
St. Mark’s School of Texas from Dallas, Texas
The Olympia Schools from Hanoi, Vietnam
University High School from Tucson, Arizona
Whitmer High School from Toledo, Ohio
Woodward Academy from College Park, Georgia
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.
Visit the IPPF at www.ippfdebate.com, www.facebook.com/ippfdebate, on Twitter at @IPPF1, and on Instagram at @ippf1.
The press release was produced by Amity Schools . The views are the author's own.
