Fourteen Explorers represented the school in competition and made it to the semifinals in 3 events.

 

Senior Marcel Van Hemert made it to the semifinals in Varsity Extemporaneous Speaking. He gave great speeches on the current crisis in Spanish government and a speech on the current impeachment hearings, narrowly missing the cut to finals by one rank.

 

In novice Extemp, Junior and first time debate traveler, Daniel Montoto also made it to the semifinal round after clearing preliminaries. He gave speeches on moderating Iran’s nuclear program and tension within the Democratic Party before making it to elimination rounds.

 

In the first World Schools competition in Mississippi history, two Columbus teams made it to the semifinals of the event. Columbus Red, made up of members Gabriel Llerena, Phillip Castro, and Lucas Hurley, advanced alongside Columbus White, made up of Emmanuel Cartelle, Eddy Lamazares, and Nicolas Sosa. The third team, Columbus Blue, made up of Andrew Castro, Marcel Van Hemert, and Marcelo Andreu, ended their run in the quarterfinals round. The teams debated the following motions:

 

R1 - This house believes the impeachment hearings have been beneficial for the American electorate

R2 - This house welcomes the end of Pax Americana

R3 - This house believes that, if feasible, foster children should be placed into families with similar background (race, religion, etc.)

R4 - This house would implement a Robot Tax on companies who automate labor.