A debating team from Brentwood College in Mill Bay is among the final 16 teams, and the only Canadian one, at the 19th annual International Public Policy Forum.
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.
This year, the IPPF, which is hosted by the Brewer Foundation and New York University, received qualifying-round essays from 150 teams, representing schools in 28 U.S. states and 19 countries.
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The top 16 teams left in the competition represent schools from nine U.S. states as well as Canada, China, Mongolia, South Korea, and Vietnam.
No other team from Brentwood College has ever made it this far in the competition.
The “Sweet 16” round is now underway, and the team from Brentwood College is competing against University High School from Tucson, Arizona.
By advancing in the competition, the students from Brentwood College, which includes Mahir Arora, Nate Philips, Michael Wang and Ryangwon Kim, remain eligible to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City.
“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.”
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On March 16, the “Elite 8” teams will be announced.
If Brentwood College advances, the team will travel to New York to compete in the IPPF Finals on April 25.
The IPPF Finals give students the opportunity to supplement their written scholarships with oral advocacy and they will compete in debates in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in business, law and politics.
The 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.
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