North Allegheny High School speech and debate team beat out hundreds of other schools to make it as one of the top eight competitors in the 24th annual International Public Policy Forum Finals held May 3 in New York City.
The IPPF is the only worldwide debate competition that gives high school students the opportunity to participate in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.
North Allegheny was one of the 283 initial teams worldwide that entered the competition in October, according to Dominic Moore, the high school’s speech and debate head coach.
While the team didn’t capture first place at the finals, just making it to the quarterfinals and being one of the eight schools to represent the U.S. in the competition was quite the feat, Moore said.
“Reaching the world finals is incredibly difficult and requires being selected for the Round of 64 and then defeating teams from across the world in single-elimination bouts until reaching the top eight. This activity requires high-level research, writing and argumentation skills as each round’s essays are judged by experts,” he said.
The IPPF is the world’s largest written and oral debate competition that takes place from October to May of each school year, according to ippfdebate.com.
The competition began last fall with all 283 teams writing a 3,500-word essay on the topic “Resolved: Equitable Access to Pharmaceuticals Should Be Prioritized Over Protecting Intellectual Property Rights,” Moore said.
North Allegheny’s team made the cut and was selected to compete in the 64-team single-elimination written tournament. It next advanced from the Round of 64 through the Sweet Sixteen, defeating teams from around the world in a written debate competition judged by expert panels of judges, Moore said.
Each stage of the competition involves students volleying essays back and forth via email with their opponents, requiring students to conduct new research and write new essays at each stage of the elimination rounds.
Students are expected to learn topic knowledge, collaborate as a group to write their team essay and conduct research to make the best possible arguments both for and against the resolution.
After winning the Sweet Sixteen on a 3-0 decision, the five students representing the North Allegheny Speech and Debate Team qualified for an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to compete in the world finals.
At the world finals, the top eight teams participated in oral debates judged by an expert panel to determine the overall champion, Moore said.
North Allegheny’s team tied the school record set in 2022 with their quarterfinal finish this year. This year’s team at the IPFF included senior Kelly Tai, junior Samuel Xiao and sophomores Kaartic Muralidharan, Eric Peng and Aayushi Vardhan.
“With a young team, four out of five members were sophomores or juniors, the North Allegheny team is hopeful they can make another run at the world championship next year,” Moore said.
The winner of the IPPF world championship and a $10,000 grand prize was Carroll Senior High School of Southlake, Texas.
As a quarterfinalist, North Allegheny Senior High School was awarded $1,500.
“Competing in IPPF was an amazing experience,” said Tai, who serves as team captain. “You can tell that everyone on the team learned a lot this year, from improving essay writing and oral debating skills to expanding our understanding of public policy and current events. I have wonderful memories of celebrating each milestone with the team, and I’m excited for North Allegheny to compete again next year.”
Overall, participants included schools in 26 countries and 30 U.S. states, before eventually being narrowed down to the top eight.
“It’s not just a competition. It’s a proving ground for tomorrow’s policy thinkers and public voices,” said William A. Brewer III, chairman of the Brewer Foundation and founder of the IPPF, in a May 3 announcement on the IPPF website.
The IPPF was founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation, the charitable arm of the law firm Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, to promote academic achievement and public advocacy. The contest is now jointly administered by New York University, according to an April 24 news release from the Brewer Foundation.