On Saturday, February 6 the Coolidge Foundation partnered with the New York City Urban Debate League to sponsor the first Coolidge Cup Invitational. More than 400 New York City debaters converged on Bronx Science and Bronx Collaborative High Schools for this day of contest. Students debated whether or not the federal government should implement a carbon tax. The day began with a seminar and mock debate led by Dr. Ike Brannon. Dr. Brannon is president of the consulting firm Capital Policy Analytics and head of the Savings and Retirement Foundation. He has worked on Capitol Hill in a number of capacities, including as chief economist for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dr. Brannon explained a number of tax-related concepts to the students, including how taxes can be used to discourage people from purchasing taxed items. We were very grateful to have him join us for the event.
Students debated three rounds before returning to the auditorium to witness the championship round in the afternoon. The two top teams participated in the championship round, and the pro-side won that final debate. The top overall speaker was Feiry Guaba, an alum of our 2015 World Schools Debate Camp.
At this tournament the Coolidge Foundation awarded ten scholarships to our 2016 World Schools Debate Camp to the top students in several debate events. These students will come to Plymouth Notch this summer to compete in our Coolidge Cup championship debate. We are grateful to Eric Fogel and his team at the New York Urban Debate League for making this event possible. Please enjoy a few pictures from the day.
