From left to right: Frank Li, Sid Madala, Sharon Volpe (Calculus teacher & Speech and Debate advisor), Julie Chen and Anmol Anand.
Sid Madala – was the only team from
Pennsylvania the finals competition.
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.
The debate contest was founded in
2001 by the Brewer Foundation as a
way to promote academic achievement,
and celebrate speech and debate. First
founded as a national contest, the
competition went global in 2008.
This year, 218 teams representing
high schools in 30 countries submitted
qualifying round essays on the topic,
“Resolved: The obligation to provide safe
haven for refugees should outweigh a
government’s right to control its borders.”
“These students are exploring a timely
and complex topic – the global refugee
crisis – at an intellectual level well beyond
their years,” says Wi