Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
Welcome back Hamptonians! I hope you all had a great two-week holiday for the half term break and it has been lovely to see the Second Years return to School with such enthusiasm. The big news of the week is the return of the 3G, the boys have loved the return of actual goals as opposed to a pile of bags! On Monday the Second Years had the opportunity to show their E-Safety presentations to their peers and we all learnt a little more about how to stay safe online – we were impressed by the creativity and research that went into these, well done!
MERIT MILESTONES
A bumper week of merits! Looking forward to more of the same next week…
Sanjit Baber – 10
Freddie Turnbull – 10
Amar Gill – 10
Darshan Sanai – 10
Danai Thomas – 10
Isaac Hurst – 10
Ben Griffin – 10
Harrison Gilbert – 10
Alex Lapidus – 10
Josh Millington-Jones – 10
Nihal Bal – 10
William Denmark – 10
Kian Iranpour Boroujeni – 10
Ashton Crossley – 10
Dylan Love – 10
Krishang Toprani – 10
Rory McEwan – 10
Josh Millington-Jones – 20
Siddarth Srivastav – 20
Kian Iranpour Boroujeni – 20
Rory McEwan – 20
Theo Liang – 20
THE 3G IS BACK!
During the course of the half term, the grounds crew worked tirelessly to get the 3G back in action. That work has now been showcased as we returned to School with the gleaming 3G the centre of attention.
Although there has been an unfortunate timetable preventing us from being on it for as long as we used to, a huge amount of people have been able to enjoy the 3G in all its glory. The new artificial grass feels so soft, and its neon bright colours gleam with beauty. The soft astro makes everything easier, and it feels like you are running on spring. Overall, it is a very enjoyable experience, and everyone should try it out.
By Kai W (2L)
Meet Miss Holt!
Our weekly interviews, are a great opportunity for you to find found out a little bit more about your Tutors! So, thank you to Josh MJ and Harrison G who interviewed Miss Holt, RS and Philosophy Teacher and 2J’s tutor!
What is your favourite place you’ve ever been on holiday to?
I spent one summer whist I was at university travelling around South East Asia which I loved! My favourite country that I visited on that trip was probably Laos which was beautiful; I loved the stunning waterfalls. We also spent a day travelling by inflatable rubber ring along a river (although we didn’t get very far)! 
Why do you teach RS?
I loved RS and Philosophy when I was at school and I read Philosophy at university. My favourite thing about the subject is getting to discover other cultures and perspectives. I find it really interesting seeing how other people view the world and also examining the impact other cultures and ideas have on our society.
Do you have any pets?
Sadly not here in London, although I am a HUGE fan! I love going home to visit my parents’ dogs Lily, Remo and Delilah whenever I get the chance (seeing my family is just an added bonus…).
What is your pet peeve?
Slow walkers – especially when I’m in a rush!
If you weren’t a RS teacher what would you be?
Initially, I always planned to train as a lawyer. However, after I finished university I got a temporary job in a school and fell in love with teaching – now I can’t imagine doing anything else!
What is your favourite TV show?
I love pretty much any crime drama!
What is your favourite snack?
Cheese
Organ Scholarship Success
Theo T (2F) tells us all about his organ scholarship and his new experiences playing at Christ Church in Esher:
In my quest to pursue my organ learning journey over the summer, there was the key challenge of finding a suitable place to practice. As there are many different churches with different types of organs, it was hard to find one suitable for my needs.
Dr Ainscough, my resident organ teacher at Hampton School and organist at St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth kindly recommended me to get in touch with Christ Church, Esher as a starting point. I was duly invited for a meeting to use the organ for practice which went rather well, and in fact at the end of the audition, Director of Music Stuart Whatton offered me an organ scholarship which was a great and pleasant surprise.
I am very fortunate and grateful about the timing of this opportunity, as the previous organ scholar George Ashley had just left his role due to other commitments and a vacancy is available in turn for a Junior Organ Scholar, alongside Rowan Marshall, now Senior Organ Scholar who also regularly sings at The Choir of HM Chapel Royal Hampton Court Palace, as well as with the Parish of Esher Choir. My debut finally came on 23 October with a Post Sermon piece (Fauré) in the Parish Communion at Christ Church, followed by a commissioning ceremony at the end of the service by The Revd Darren McCallig.
Looking ahead, my contributions to both Christ Church and their daughter church St George’s, West End would include me playing a few organ pieces every month, including hymns, voluntaries and some piano from the repertoire, helping out at general events such as Sunday services, morning prayer, communion, Music concert and recitals at Music on the Green and I may occasionally join in with the choir also including small music related duties like page turning, helping with organ registration, etc, with the guidance of Mr Whatton and the other organists (for instance Mr Tim Ravalde from Chichester Cathedral). This valuable experience will no doubt help me to further progress my organ playing, and together with the help of Dr Ainscough, hopefully lead to further Exam and Competition successes in the years to come.
I look forward to all of these, can’t wait to be on my way and get stuck in!
What a fantastic achievement, Theo!
Language of the Week (new!)
Theo L (2B) tells us all about Tamil, which is one of the oldest languages in the world!
Being an official language of Sri Lanka, Singapore and the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, it is natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Additionally, it is a recognised minority language in Malaysia and South Africa. Today, the language has 75 million speakers – quite a lot for a language that is more than 2,000 years old! Tamil is quite a unique language, being a “classical Dravidian language” – a family of languages that is mainly only spoken in Southern India, and parts of Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The dialects of this language include Sri Lanka, Northern, Western, Central, Eastern and Southern. During the times of the British Empire, the language’s popularity spiked; a result of Tamil-speaking labourers being sent to different parts of the Empire, and forming Tamil-speaking communities.
Moving on to the language itself. Tamil has 16 consonants, and stress on words is fixed on the first syllable of a word. Regarding grammar, Tamil is “agglutinative” – it keeps adding suffixes to form words and to express grammar. As a result, some words in Tamil can be very long. Examples of words include:
வணக்கம் (Vaṇakkam) Meaning “hi”!
And…
காலை வணக்கம் (Kālai vaṇakkam) Meaning “good morning”!
NO LIMITS WEEK
This year’s No Limits Week starts on Monday 14 November! While many of you are already involved in a wide range of activities and clubs, the aim of the week is to give you the opportunity to move out of your comfort zone and to challenge yourselves with something new! Perhaps a fresh passion or interest will grow in an activity that you had not previously considered. You will be asked to try three clubs or activities during the week that you don’t usually attend. Your tutors will give you a No Limits Week card that the staff member running the activities will sign for you. Make sure that you check out the new posters in your Form rooms that display all the clubs and activities that will be running. We will be sharing how you get on in next week’s blog!
Don’t forget to check the Co-curricular Guide in advance, so you can plan your week.
Clubs of the Week
Every week we feature a number of clubs Second Year Hamptonians have been loving, maybe you’ll find inspiration for No Limits Week!
Lego Robotics club
Lego Robotics is absolutely one of my favourite clubs at Hampton! I get to be creative and have lots of fun programming and building a Lego robot with my friends. For me, it’s very convenient as my friends are good at both. As well as that, there are no specific things you have to build and there is almost unlimited Lego to create with. There are no bad ideas here and you can make anything beyond your wildest dreams! I would definitely recommend this club to anybody who wasn’t tried yet. All you need is a few friends to help you out!
By Zachariya I (2L)
Lego Architecture Club
Lego Architecture is a club for anyone from first to third year. The club is in the first half of Tuesday lunch, by Miss Moore. People are split into teams of 2 and 3, and they build what the topic is (this term we are doing bridges). Then, they compete. This term, the bridges compete on their strength. The strongest build wins (and there is a prize for beauty). There have been some very promising builds, and some very attractive builds.
By Habib T (2B) and Rory M (2B)
SPECIAL SHOUTOUTS
A huge congratulations to Kiran G (2B) who was awarded a place in the U13 National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, playing the double bass. He auditioned back in July and just found out that he’d won a place over half term!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school and to celebrate your successes in the Second Year Blog! Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Miss Tiller. B.Tiller@hamptonschool.org.uk
Joke competition
Rory M (2J) and Josh G (2L) have a new competition for you all to try. Let’s hear more about it:
What do you call a factory that makes okay products? A satisfactory! Do you have a funny joke that you want to tell? The Second Year Blog is introducing a Joke Competition! You will be able to submit your jokes by emailing b.tiller@hamptonschool.org.uk . If your joke gets a mention in the blog, then you can collect a merit from your form tutor. Remember to use your name and form otherwise you won’t get any credit for entering.
Try your best to crack us up – good luck!
Coming up …
Talk! with Louis & Michael Lynagh
Hot off the press, we are delighted to announce that Old Hamptonian and Harlequins winger Louis Lynagh OH (2019) joins his father, Wallaby legend Michael Lynagh AM, in conversation with The Times Deputy Rugby Correspondent and Hampton alumnus, Will Kelleher OH (2010).
Taking place on Thursday 10 November at 7.30pm, the two rugby greats will be reflecting on life on and off the pitch, and offering their insight into the rugby Autumn Internationals.
There are a limited number of free tickets available for Hamptonians, so if you are interested please click here.
The 39 Steps
Some of our dramatists will be treading the Hammond Theatre boards in our first production of the year The 39 Steps.
Richard Hannay, a perfect gentleman and dashing hero, meets a mysterious woman at a London theatre, who implores him to take her home with him. She soon confesses to being a spy, hot on the trail of a dangerous organisation. That same night she gets stabbed in his flat and Hannay is thrown into a mad chase to escape both the police and the mysterious spy organisation, ‘The 39 Steps’, whilst trying to solve the riddle behind her murder. This wonderfully inventive and gripping comedy thriller takes you on a breath-taking and hilarious journey from London to the Scottish Highlands and back. Can Hannay evade capture and clear his name of murder before it’s too late? Will he fall in love along the way? And what exactly are ‘The 39 Steps’?
Tickets for the public go on sale on Monday 14 November here.
QUIZ OF THE WEEK
Well done to everyone who had a go at our half term quiz. Merits go to:
2J: Josh M-J, Nihal B, Kian IB
2L: Max D, Oliver P, Jayden C, Alex C
2W: Oliver S, Ethan D, Abhideep S
2B: Ethan G, Kiran G, Rory M
2F: Siddharth S, Rahul B, Manraj G, Ishaan A
Take a look at this week’s questions, have a go yourself or challenge people at home and see if they know the answer. Points for the Interform Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries over the term.
This week’s questions come from Umair M, Luke T and Dom N (2L). Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers from last week’s quiz:
- How many times does the average person laugh a day? 13
- On the School map, which department is purple? Economics
- In which sport would you dig, set and spike? Volleyball
- How many teeth does an aarvark have? None
- Name the doctor played by Tom Baker, Patrick Troughton and David Tennant, among others? Doctor Who
Remember to write your name in the form so you can be credited with merits!
