Students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School are headed to New York City in May to debate the subject of government surveillance on an international stage.

The team recently advanced to the "Elite 8" finals of the International Public Policy Forum -- a competition pitting high school students from around the world in written and oral public-policy debates.

SPA made its way to the finals by defeating three schools -- Kerr High in Houston, Tex.; Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque, N.M.; and St. John's-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg, Manitoba -- in single-elimination contests requiring the volleying of written positions via email.

Panels of judges reviewed the essays and selected winning teams.

Now, the SPA team, comprised of seniors Shaan Bijwadia, Jordan Hughes, Afsar Sandozi and Thomas Toghramadjian, must stake their position in oral debates in the May 2 finals at The Harold Pratt House, 58 E. 68th St. at Park Avenue, in New York. The winning team collects a $10,000 grand prize.

The event is sponsored by the Bickel & Brewer Foundation and New York University.

Last fall, the competition began with 243 teams submitting qualifying-round essays on the topic: "Resolved: Mass surveillance is not a justified method of governmental intelligence gathering."

The Elite 8 will be an all-U.S. field. But, in the "Sweet 16," there were teams not just from Canada, but also from Singapore, Taiwan and the Czech Republic.

William A. Brewer III, a partner in the Bickel & Brewer law firm, said: "The St. Paul Academy and Summit School team has demonstrated an excellent command of a very complex and timely topic."

This year marks the first that SPA has advanced past the "Top 32" in the event -- now in its 14th year.