DORAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACHIEVE HIGH RANKING AT UNIVERSITY-LEVEL, NATIONAL DEBATE CONVENTION.
Team of students, concurrently enrolled in Doral College, delivered undefeated performance
at recent National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference bowl
A student debate team from the nationally acclaimed Doral Academy Preparatory School, an Academica – serviced school, showed their mettle against college-level competitors by earning 5th place at the 2014 NUBC Bioethics Bowl— a college-level competition in which teams debate resolutions of bioethical issues as part of the National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference. The nine participating students are concurrently enrolled in Doral College and therefore were able to partake in the convention as a Doral College team.
Additionally, student Allan Arcia, 18, was chosen through a submission process to present a bioethics research paper at the conference, held April 4-6 at Loyola University in Chicago. Likely one of the convention’s youngest presenters, Allan shared an analysis on ethical case studies involving individuals who have sought out physician-assisted suicide despite being physically healthy.
The 2014 NUBC Bioethics Bowl allowed teams representing colleges from all over the country to debate resolutions of medical bioethics dilemmas. The teams were scored by a panel of three judges on argument clarity, discussion of central ethical dimensions, avoidance of ethical irrelevance, and deliberative thoughtfulness. The Doral Academy Preparatory School/Doral College students won four out of four matches, beating the University at Albany, University of Washington, University of Baltimore, and New Mexico State University. Placing 5th out of 21 participating schools, the Doral College team outranked institutions such as Florida State University, University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth College.
Allan and his classmates—Kiele Cabrera, Melanie Garcia, Juan Infante, Miranda Murillo, Alexander Nunez, Estefani Perez, Luisa Posada, and Sofia Vignolo—prepared for the competition through extensive research and practice as part of a Doral College interdisciplinary ethics class, taught by their debate coach, General Counsel for Doral College, Ryan Kairalla.
“It was truly inspiring to witness the hard work and dedication of this group of young people throughout this process,” he said. “Their impressive skill set and confidence in a college-level environment speaks to the educational experiences and support they are receiving at Doral College, as well as their strong educational base from Doral Academy Preparatory School.”
Students of Doral College attend classes contiguous with their high school classes and work simultaneously toward a high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree. The college, which is in the process of becoming accredited, offers students college–level opportunities, including instruction by college-level professors, a college library and lounge on a high school campus, and collegiate experiences such as participation in the NUBC Bioethics Bowl.
To graduate from the college’s A.A. program, students must complete an independent capstone project on a topic of their choice. In the case of Allan Arcia, he completed his research paper, of which was presented at the conference, as his Doral College capstone project.
“Having high-school aged students compete with college-aged students would alone be an achievement,” added Fernando Zulueta, CEO of Academica, the service and support organization for Doral Academy Preparatory School and Doral College. “But to compete against and place ahead of major institutions is a truly remarkable feat. We congratulate the participating students and Professor Kairalla on this wonderful accomplishment.”
To learn more about Doral Academy Preparatory School, visit www.doralacademyprep.org, and for further information on Doral College, visit www.doralcollege.com.
Academica is Florida’s leading charter school service and support organization, serving the largest population of high-performing charter schools in the state. Academica enjoys a superior reputation in the education arena for assisting with the development of growing networks of fiscally-sound public charter schools, using its strategic formula of establishing schools in areas of great need.