Ladue Team 1 (L-R): William Xie (11), Daniel Chayet (12), and Ari Gottesman (11)
The Brewer Foundation and New York University
have announced the high school debate teams advancing into the
“Top 64” round of the 19th annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF). By advancing, the students are eligible to win a $10,000 grand prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City.
The IPPF is the first and only international debate competition that gives high school students the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. “The IPPF presents an exciting opportunity for high school students to engage in issue-oriented advocacy – competing against some of the best debate teams in the world,” says William A. Brewer III, founder of the Brewer Foundation and Chairman of the IPPF Advisory Board. “The top 64 teams now enter into written elimination rounds that will test their research, writing and advocacy skills.”
Ladue Team 3 (L-R): Ayush Ajmani (12), Ashna Chali (11), Athena Vinch (11), and Eli Goldstein (12) (Not pictured: Phani Chintakunta (12))
This year, the IPPF received qualifying round essays from more than 150 teams, representing schools in 28 U.S. states and 19 countries. Each essay affirmed or negated the IPPF topic, “Resolved: When in conflict, a nation’s self-interest should outweigh its international commitments to migrants.”
Submitted essays were reviewed by a committee of judges that determined the “Top 64” teams based on the overall quality of each 2800-word essay.
The Round of 64 begins immediately. Included in this round are the following Ladue Horton Watkins High School teams:
Ladue Horton Watkins High School (#1), Saint Louis, Missouri
Students: Daniel Chayet, Ari Gottesman, William Xie
Ladue Horton Watkins High School (#2), Saint Louis, Missouri
Students: Christopher Chen, Huamin Gao, Louis Li, Zerubbabel Marut, Joshua Wolk
Ladue Horton Watkins High School (#3), Saint Louis, Missouri
Students: Ayush Ajmani, Ashna Chali, Phani Chintakunta, Eli Goldstein, Athena Vinch
Teams will volley a series of essays back and forth via e-mail. A panel of judges will review the essays in the order they are presented, and the winning schools will advance to the “Top 32” round. The process continues until the final eight teams are named.
The “Elite 8” teams earn an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City April 24 – 26, 2020. In New York, teams compete in oral debates in front of a panel of judges that includes
professionals in law, business, politics, debate and academia. The IPPF Champion will be
awarded a $10,000 grand prize and the Brewer Cup.