USCHS team among the Top 64 in international competition

Team members include Mana Barimani, Maxim-Levi Shevchenko, Priyaharshini Sivakumar, Nikhita Thakuria and Pari Varshney.

The Upper St. Clair students are part of the Speech & Debate Team, which is coached by teachers Ben Edwards and Dave Watson.

In its 24th year, the International Public Policy Forum is the first and only contest that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. This year marks the second-largest year in competition history with 283 teams representing schools in 26 countries and 30 U.S. states in the qualifying round.

Upper St. Clair High is one of only three Pennsylvania schools to qualify for the Top 64. The other schools include Pine-Richland and North Allegheny high schools.

“The IPPF presents an opportunity for high school students to engage in one of the largest and most competitive debate contests in the world,” William A. Brewer III, founder of the Brewer Foundation and Chairman of the IPPF Advisory Board, said. “The Top 64 teams now enter into written elimination rounds that will test their research, writing and advocacy skills.”

The round of 64 begins immediately. Teams will continue to debate the topic, “Resolved: Equitable access to pharmaceuticals should be prioritized over protecting intellectual property rights.” Teams will volley a series of essays back and forth via email. A panel of judges will review the essays in the order they are presented, and the winning teams will advance to the Top 32 round. The process continues for several rounds, until the final eight teams are named.

In the first round, Upper St. Clair is competing against Neev Academy, located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The winner of this round will advance to face the Top 32 against the winner between schools from Kentucky and Australia.

This format continues until the final eight teams emerge. Those teams earn an all-expense-paid trip to the IPPF Finals in New York City in May 2025. In New York, teams compete in oral debates in front of a panel of judges that include professionals in law, business, politics, debate and academia. The IPPF Champion will be awarded a $10,000 grand prize and the Brewer Cup.

The International Public Policy Forum is sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University.