Welcome to the First Year Blog!
REMEMBRANCE DAY, PITCH PERFECT AND CREATIVE CELLS
This week our First Years have got back into the swing of school life at Hampton, attending all the co-curricular activities available at lunchtime and enjoying their sports practices. The School marked Remembrance Day on Thursday with our traditional Remembrance Day assembly, albeit in a less traditional format over MS Teams. We remembered those on the Hampton Role of Honour and discussed stories handed down over the generations.
Lucas ST Reports:
This week on the 11th November is Remembrance Day. On this day, we remember those who have fallen in the World Wars serving the country. At Hampton School, we had a two minute silence on Thursday. The moment of silence is also for the old Hamptonians who fought in the War too.
Some moving and thought-provoking accounts from members of our School community about relatives of theirs involved in World War Two can be found here:
TUTOR PROFILES WITH AADI K
The best way to learn is through asking questions.
This week I interviewed Mrs Peattie Head of First Year and History Teacher:
We are not makers of history;
We are made by history.
Dr Martin Luther King Jr
Why did you want to work at Hampton?
It was my first job out of university, and I loved Hampton’s History department. That is what attracted me to the School.
If the School decided not to appoint you, what would they miss out on?
They would be missing my enthusiasm for the First Years. I really enjoy helping pupils settle in to the Secondary School environment.
Why did you want to teach History?
I was doing a degree in History and History of Art at university, and I assisted in education work shops in the Barber Institute Art gallery and that’s when I realised I was interested in teaching.
If budget wasn’t an issue, how would your classroom look?
I would have real life Renaissance pieces of Art in my class room that I could use to teach the Renaissance to my Sixth Form. So perhaps Michelangelo’s ‘David’, Raphael’s ‘School of Athens.’
What do you find the hardest part of teaching?
The hardest part of teaching I find is when you find something really interesting, but your pupils don’t share your natural enthusiasm for that particular aspect of History.
What are your hidden talents?
Well, I have a good memory which helps me remember many dates in history and I’m a very good cook. My signature dish would probably be Cornish pasties as I don’t think many people can cook tasty Cornish pasties outside Cornwall.
If you could pass your wisdom to your pupils what would you share?
I would say embrace everything that is on offer. The more you do, the less regrets you’ll have in your life.
If you could grow up in any decade, which one would you grow up in?
I would grow up in the 1920s in the Flapper era, but only if I had money! I think being poor in the 1920s without electricity and the mod cons would have been quite hard!
List five adjectives to describe yourself?
Organised, enthusiastic, humorous, strict and kind.
WAFFLE WEDNESDAY
The catering team are keen to receive creative and eye-catching posters for their ‘Waffle Wednesday’ competition.
The poster must be in Landscape format and include the following information to promote the delicious Belgium waffles available once a week at breakfast:
- Waffle Wednesday
- Every Wednesday
- 8 – 8.45am
- Belgium waffle with a choice of toppings
- Selling at £1.00
Alongside the information, you can include any enticing images e.g. drawings, paintings, photographs or clipart to promote the waffles.
Save your poster as a JPEG file or in Word or PowerPoint so it can be converted into an image file; don’t forget to create your poster in Landscape format! Put your name and age on the filename.
The best poster will be displayed on the digital signage around School and you will win £10 in breakfast vouchers.
The deadline is Monday 23 November at 9am. Email your ‘Waffle Wednesday’ entries to: kitchen@hamptonschool.org.uk
Good luck and Bon appétit!
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion competition
There is still an opportunity for all First Year boys to submit a piece of work reflecting on the themes of diversity, equality and inclusion in our society. With entries closing on Monday 16 November, Dr Hendry and Mr Nicholson are looking for analytical essays, creative prose responses, poems, pieces of art work or music, playscripts, or indeed anything creative at all in response to one of the following stimulus statements:
- ‘One should be judged by the content of one’s character alone.’
- ‘We study stories, but we need to study the stories of those we have previously ignored.’
- ‘Much of accepted scientific and mathematical knowledge has been attributed to white, European heterosexual Christian or Jewish men of wealthy or aristocratic backgrounds.’ Identify and highlight the research and academic advances of an overlooked individual who has contributed to our collective understanding of the world.
- ‘Inequalities in political power and wealth have disproportionately influenced public knowledge of history.’
- ‘Our national cultural life does not reflect the multi-culturalism of the society in which we live.’
- ‘Civil rights legislation has promised much but changed little.’
- ‘A modern understanding of Biology has deconstructed race.’
Entries should be submitted to s.hendry@hamptonschool.org.uk by the date mentioned above. The entries will be judged by a panel of teachers drawn from a variety of departments across the School.
Best of luck!
SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCES
Well done to all those we mentioned last week for performing in the New Boys’ Concert that was live streamed to us yesterday evening. We were blown away by the level of talent that we have in our First Year! The musical future of Hampton is in safe hands!
Junior Rock Band
If you happen to pass by the Hammond Theatre on a Friday lunchtime, why don’t you stop and have a listen? Our Junior Rock Band are sounding great.
Rock on!
CREATIVE CELLS
Over half term and at the start of this term our First Years have been getting creative in Biology, bringing all kinds of cells to life by creating 3D cell models. Take a look at some of 1J’s cells below:
Joshua R (1J) Reports:
It has been a tradition for all First Years to create a cell. It could be a cell of any type and we had all half term break to create our cells. In Biology, we have been studying living organisms and the system in which living things work. It was really fun to create this: a lot of our homework is writing in our exercise books or on our iPad. This was a change to this, and we got to get our hands dirty with glue and interesting materials, with different textures and colours. We had some really interesting cell projects: from animal cells and plant cells to bacterium cells. We had to label them with the organelles, which are inside the cells; they are essentially the parts of the cell. We had learnt about the cell in class however all of us went above and beyond, with our cells, with bold colours and extra research on our chosen cell.
PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
From cells to what makes us human, Kanishk M (1W) sets up the basics for the building blocks of life:
The World of the Gene
“It’s in your genes,” is a common phrase used by procrastinators and experts alike. However, genes are more than long chains with sugar backbones, they are the conductors of an orchestra of reactions and changes releasing enzymes and proteins. But how do you harness it, bend it to your rules, modify it?
This delves us into an ocean of engineering, genetic engineering. A science with limitless possibilities, rarely explored by the novice at home. This is where I want that to change. I believe that every person should know the basic blocks to be able to modify organisms and cells alike. And this is where our series starts, every week, I will explain its foundations, the origins, the ethical issues, and how to do some at home.
Our lives are formed and altered by our genes, and so I think it’s fair if we have the skills to alter them.
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of School. Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mrs Halford.
TUTEE OF THE WEEK
Each week Mrs Peattie and Mr Hill select a Tutee of the Week from the nominations sent in by the First Year Form Tutors. This person is selected for their all-round contribution to Hampton life and for displaying a great attitude. Congratulations to this week’s winner of the award: Faris S (1W). Faris has impressed everyone with his polite attitude and conscientious demeanour.
FIRST YEAR 5 QUESTIONS
A few questions for you to have a go at yourself or challenge people at home if they know the answer. Merits are awarded for everyone who has a go! Just click on the link below and enter your answers and points for the Inter-Form Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries every week.
- O’Hare Airport serves which American city?
- A DNA molecule is described as being what shape?
- Who is the former drummer of Nirvana who fronts the Foo Fighters?
- Elon Musk is the CEO of which global brand?
- How many elements are there in the periodic table?
Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Remember to write your name in the form so you can be credited with merits! Merits will be added to our remote merit log and if you have space add a merit in the back of your diaries!
We had an impressive 32 entries for the Five questions last week, 1J are in the lead with 9 submissions! Well done to the following boys (make sure to add your merits in the back of your homework diaries):
1B: Adam M, Advait B, Boris D, Jack Y
1F: Pranav P, Fraser K, Jasper E, Patrick M
1H: Alessandro C, Prabodha A, Arun S, Alex C
1J: Ameya M, Freddie T, Josh G, Ben B, Nathaniel C, Stanley A, Caspar S, Daniel T, Joshua R
1L: Aadi K, Gregory M, Samuel M, Jaipaal G, Agalyan S
1P: Raif D, Elamaran R
1W: Leander KB, Faris S, Luka K, Oliver A
And here are the answers to last week’s Five questions:
- In what modern day country was Nikola Tesla born? Croatia
- What is Rosa Parks famous for? She was called the “mother of the civil rights movement”, she became a pioneer for equal rights when she refused to give up her bus seat
- Which film won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Film in 2019? Cats
- Pret a Manger is a popular sandwich chain in the UK, but what does the French name mean in English? Ready to eat
- Which American political party was formed in 1791? Federalist Party
Have a great weekend!
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