Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
It’s been another fun-packed week for our Second Years, who have been up to all sorts including a thrilling ESFA football cup match, music concerts and even a lesson about cabbages…! The first round of our weekly joke competition took place so make sure you read until the end to see this week’s winning joke. Don’t forget to take part by completing the weekly quiz questions!
Merit Milestones
Another bumper week of merits! Looking forward to more of the same next week…
Guradaes Singh – 10
Josh Gibbins – 10
Jatin Chandra – 10
Maxim Guthalo – 10
Eric Paqvalen – 10
Ethan Geiger – 10
Habib Tahirov – 10
Kiran Grover – 10
Harrison Gilbert – 20
Ethan Price – 20
Kian Iranpour Boroujeni – 30
Theo Liang – 30
EXCITING ESFA
Harrison G and Tristan D (2J) report on a thrilling ESFA Cup match:
The harsh, high pitched screech of the final whistle blew as I booted the ball away and breathed a sigh of relief before we all cheered with jubilation…On Monday afternoon, at 2.15pm we left period 6 early and nervously walked out towards the changing room. The three of us met with the rest of the team with adrenaline running through our veins. We tried to hide our emotions behind tense jokes and laughs.
Tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! The starting whistle sounds and we press the opposition… After a speedy goal from a corner, we all feel more confident and we prove to ourselves and the opposition that we are in the fight after we get another only five minutes later. We continue to press and battle the opposition through gritted teeth working hard to stay on top. Finally, a ball over the top and a run from our striker, fouled in the box, penalty. The opposition complain but we calmly put the ball on the spot. One of our wingers steps up and makes a run up for a shot, unfortunately, the keeper with his giant frame gets to the ball and saves it before the defender boots it away. Fast forward to half way through the second half, a ball is played through the gap between me and my nearest defender, I get to it but just a second later an opposing attacker is on me I struggle to get the ball away and am eventually able to. But alas, the ball is taken by the other team, they shoot and hit the bar before it comes down and hits the inside of the post but I claim it in my arms just before it bounces over the line. A few minutes later the opposition whipped in a corner and a jammy touch from their striker bounces towards the goal and I am able to push it to the side but it hits my defender and rolls over the line. An own goal. The next few minutes are tense, we constantly ask the ref how long is left in desperation, we need the win. After what feels like forever, a ball is played over the top towards me and I just catch it before their striker gets to it. My teammates are frantically asking for the ball but I wave a hand to tell them to calm down.
The harsh, high pitched screech of the final whistle blew as I booted the ball away and breathed a sigh of relief before we all cheered with jubilation. We had beaten Coombe School 2 – 1 in the third round of the ESFA Cup.
Keyboard concert
Dominic N (2L) tells us about one of the many music concerts that take place this term:
Last Thursday there was a keyboard concert, a new concert for this year. It had many outstanding entries. These included the astounding performance from a Sixth Former with a self-composition. I (Dominic) performed with my piece called Prelude in C minor. It is a fast-paced piece with up and down dynamics. I made a couple mistakes; however, I overcame the problems. Everyone applauded at the end and I was relieved.
COOL Chemistry
In Chemistry this week, we were looking at different indicators, such as litmus and Universal Indicator. These, after being mixed with another substance, turn into a certain colour. This colour shows if that substance is acidic, alkaline or neutral. There are also many natural indicators, and we were experimenting with red cabbage. We made a liquid, mixing water and red cabbage. First, we put a few drops of a liquid, such as lemon juice, onto a tray. Then, we took our red cabbage solution, and put it onto the liquids we were testing. To our surprise, it worked! It turned into different colours, which showed what type of substance it was.
By Guradaes S (2H)
Meet Mr Vann-Alexander
Our weekly interviews, are a great opportunity for you to find found out a little bit more about your Tutors! So, thank you to Umair M and Dominic N (2L) who interviewed Mr Vann-Alexander, RS and Philosophy Teacher and 2L’s tutor!
What is your favourite year in your life and why?
2011 because it was the last year of school and it was so fun and 2020 because I met my fiancée.
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Star Wars all the way. It’s at its strongest when it’s fantasy and weakest when it gets too sci-fi.
What football team to you support?
Newcastle, 100%! I have a photo of Alan Shearer and me in the RS Office. We took penalties together against Shay Given while I was in Primary School. Technically, I’ve scored against a Premier League goalkeeper! I’ll be supporting Ghana in the World Cup. Let’s go, Black Stars!
What is your favourite food?
Cheeseburgers; especially smash burgers. Love them! I will eat pretty much anything. I’ve eaten 100 McNuggets in one sitting before. Before you ask, I would not recommend it.
Why did you decide to get into teaching?
I loved all my A Levels at school, but Religious Studies and Philosophy was my favourite. After university, I spent a few years as a Personal Trainer. It was fun, but I knew I’d always go into teaching eventually.
Marvel or DC?
Marvel films are better but DC comics are the best comics. Superman is my favourite.
Why do you teach philosophy?
I did RS, classical civilisation and English literature. I loved all of them but RS the most!
We know you like Simpsons, but why?
At its peak, I truly believe The Simpsons is the greatest TV show ever. Some of the best episodes will make you laugh one minute, cry the next, and then back to laughter. If you’d like to listen to me talk about The Simpsons for a few hours, head up to the RS Office.
Cats or dogs?
They’re both great, but cats are my favourite. My family have always had them and I think they are wonderful creatures. I’m desperate to get two black cats because they barely get adopted.
As an RS teacher, what is your view on God?
God is great! My mother’s side are Irish Catholics and my father’s are Jewish, so my (Catholic) faith has always been important to me. I think God’s opinion of us is that we all have the capacity to be good and loving people. Be kind.
Language of the week
Theo L (2B) tells us all about the language Kutchi, spoken by Krishang T:
Kutchi, a dialect of Sindi, has 1 million speakers in India. It is spoken primarily in the Kutchi region of India (hence its name) and the Sindh region of Pakistan. The language does not have a writing system – speakers of Kutchi usually write using the Gujarati script. However, it did used to have a writing system; the original script become extinct likely during the British rule of India, and there are currently efforts to revive and reinvent the system.
The language contains quite a lot of vocabulary from Sindhi, Gujarati and Rajasthani. The language is so old there isn’t currently any evidence about its origin. It is not known where or when the language first appeared – making it possible that the script dates back to the Indus Valley civilisation, making it one of the oldest languages in the world. However, it is incredibly safe to claim that Kutchi originated from Sanskrit, as all Indo-Aryan languages are.
Common words and phrases (pronunciation):
Bulleh – meaning Ok
Mukkeh pizza gammeh – meaning I like pizza
Vees minute lagdo – meaning it will take 20 minutes
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 to 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.
CLUB OF THE WEEK
Every week we feature clubs that Second Year Hamptonians have been loving, maybe you’ll find inspiration for No Limits Week!
Sound Bath Club
Sound Bath is a club held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch at 1.30pm. I came along on Tuesday with a friend as I had heard good things about it from other boys in my class. It was so different from what I expected. It was tranquil, soft and made me feel very relaxed and chilled out. First, they told us to take deep breaths and to focus on different parts of our body while we breathed noticing what each part of us felt like. We were then told to close our eyes and listen. After that, we were played soothing sounds and slow, soft rhythms. For 10 minutes we listened to strange sounds that most of us had never heard before. Finally, the sounds came to a slow end and we were told to slowly come back to consciousness and open our eyes. I left the room craving more of the mesmerising tunes. The sound bath really eases stress and releases tension that you may be feeling. For all who would like to join, it is held in the Learning Support room, the blinds may be down on entry. It was a fun new experience and was unlike any other club I have been to.
By Harrison G (2J)
JOKE COMPETITION
The first week of our Second Year Joke Competition had some fantastic entries and gave us all a good laugh. In fact, we couldn’t decide on just one winner so this week the winning jokes were submitted by Josh MJ (2J) and Salahuddin S (2B) – congratulations, you’ve won yourself a Merit!
What do you call a karate pig?
Pork chop!
What is the best thing about Switzerland?
I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.
We will be continuing the competition next week, you can enter 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!
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 here.
QUIZ OF THE WEEK
Well done to everyone who had a go at last week’s quiz. Merits go to:
2J: Josh M-J, Nihal B, Xavier M, Jack H
2L: Max D, Oliver P, Haadi H, Kai W, William O’S, Luke T, Umair M, Isaac H
2H: AJ C
2W: James P
2B: Ethan G, Kiran G, Rory M, Habib T
2F: Siddharth S, Jamie H
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 Josh MJ and Alex L (2J). Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers from last week’s quiz:
- Who voiced acted clone CT-5555 in Star Wars: Clone Wars? Dee Bradley Baker
- How many bee hives does Hampton have? 1
- In The Great British bake-off, judge Paul shares his surname with which district of Los Angles ? Hollywood
- What country has, on average, the steepest stairs? Netherlands
- In the 1966 Batman show starring Adam West, how many question marks are on the Riddler’s costume ? 1
Have a great weekend!
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