Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
It’s been a whirlwind of a week! I have reports from Third Years from some of the highlights including the Art trip to a sculpture garden; a Talk! Event with Michael and Louis Lynagh; New Boys’ Concert and some exhilarating sporting events. There was a Remembrance Assembly on Thursday with Third Year well represented in Chamber Choir. In between all the co-curricular events, Third Year Hamptonians have been impressing their teachers in lessons with their hard work (well, nearly all of the time). Next week is No Limits Week and Hamptonians are encouraged to move out of their comfort zone and to challenge themselves with something new. Find out more in the Heads of Year Message.
I’m delighted to share in this blog a report a fascinating account of half term travels to Dubai. Please keep those articles coming!
Heads of Year Message
Well done to everyone for making such a purposeful start to this half term. Report writing season is approaching, so it is an especially important time for the boys to commit to high standards in School – aiming to impress in all they do in the classroom and through co-curricular activities.
No Limits Week
We are very excited about the return of No Limits Week. We encourage all Third Year pupils to take a full and active part in the co-curricular activities on offer next week, recognising that many clubs will make an extra effort to put on activities that are suitable for beginners or newcomers on a “have a go” basis. Every pupil will receive a card at the start of the week and will need to get sign off having attended three co-curricular clubs/activities. Our recommendation is that everyone should aim to try at least one club/activity that they have never done before – you may just find that you enjoy it!
Maths setting tests
Please can we ask parents to direct any queries regarding Third Year Maths setting to Mrs Watson-Evans (M.Watson-Evans@hamptonschool.org.uk) in the Maths department.
Boys – Please remember to let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you are having any difficulties. We hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mr H Moore
Talk!
It’s been great to have so many speakers take part in the Hampton School Talk! series this term. Will Olsen (3A) tells us all about Louis and Michael Lynagh’s appearance in the Hammond Theatre this week:
On Thursday, many boys, parents and members of the public came to watch Louis and Michael Lynagh talk about their experience of modern rugby and where the game should go. We all enjoyed it and they gave a great insight into the Autumn Internationals and the upcoming Rugby World Cup. There was also interesting discussion on Michael’s life-threatening stroke and how he dealt with it. Louis is dealing with an injury too. To finish, there was a Q&A session from which we learned so much and came away inspired.
New Boys’ concert
Bravo to the new musicians who performed in Tuesday’s concert. Aaryan K (3H) gave an upbeat performance of Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny be Good’ on the electric guitar, Robert B (3D) played the piano beautifully and Max T (3H) dazzled everyone with his skilful classical piano performance. Oscar R (3C) delighted the audience with his trumpet solo. Hanshi L (3C) performed in the lunchtime recital on Friday.
Super Sculptures
Theo S, Ralph C and Fraser K (3A) tell us all about their trip to the Sculpture Park at Roche Court.
This week Third Years studying Art embarked on our first trip (for some their first trip as a Hamptonian) to Roche Court’s New Arts Centre near Salisbury. We are doing a project on public sculpture and the park gave us the chance to see contemporary artists. After a 90-minute coach ride we were greeted with a warm welcome from the staff and we had great weather. We were split into groups and treated to a guided tour of the centre and all of its magnificent bronze sculptures including figures by Antony Gormley, Bill Woodrow and Peter Randall-Page. All were for sale and we saw a sculpture of a hare for £2 million! We were impressed by the story behind some of the pieces. We then did our own abstract sketches, inspired by the sculptures. These will be used to document the visit in our sketchpads during art lessons back at School. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Dubai Adventure
Joshua R (3E) tells us all about his half term adventures in Dubai and the history of this unique country:
Over the October half term, my family and I went to Dubai, the largest city of the UAE, for a week long trip. I was absolutely stunned by the dizzying height of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, and the immense luxury and glamour of the city. I then started to wonder how Dubai managed to become the city that has broken so many world records. What was Dubai like in the past?
The earliest mention of Dubai was recorded in 1095, in the Book of Geography by Andalusian-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah Al Bakri. The people of Dubai relied heavily on fishing, pearl diving, boat building, and traders who would pass through Dubai to sell gold, spices, and textiles. This legacy of trade can still be found in souks; historical markets nestled in between alleyways. Dubai was a small fishing village until 1966, when oil was found. With this, the late ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum started to develop Dubai by transforming some small settlements near Dubai Creek into the Dubai we know today. Some of the major projects completed at the time including building ports, the Dubai World Trade Centre, and Dubai International Airport. Dubai exploded in growth and soon amazing landmarks such as the Burj Al Arab and the Burj Khalifa were built. Dubai is only going to flourish; it is building Dubai South, a new business development that will house the world’s largest airport, shops, homes, and businesses. I can’t wait to see it in the future!
I really enjoyed my holiday and if you do go to Dubai (I would really recommend it), visit The Frame. The world’s largest picture frame, it houses a museum and a viewing station 150m high. On one side, you can see the Old City and on the other, the New City. It’s like looking into the past and into the future at the same time.
Sports Reports
U14A Rugby by Jack H (3A)
On Saturday, the Hampton U14A team were set to face one of the top rugby schools in the country, Harrow. Expecting a tough match, the team arrived early and began to warm up in the rain. The game started fast as usual, as Hampton piled on the pressure, playing most of the first 25 minutes in Harrow’s half. Hampton went in at half time on top, but the score board remained 0-0.
The second half resumed with the same high tempo which Hampton immediately capitalised on. A deep kick in behind the Harrow defensive line from Stan A (3A) layered pressure on Harrow’s full back and he carried it over his own line, resulting in a Hampton scrum, five metres off Harrow’s try line. A planned pick-and-go meant that Seb H (3C) carried the ball over the line for the first five points. With this momentum, Hampton quickly scored again through a back line move which ended with Fraser K (3A) diving on the try line on the wing before Jack H (3A) scored as well on the same wing, converted by Harry D (3A). In the last play of the match, Hampton’s defence slipped for the first time and Harrow managed a try in the corner, which was well converted by the 10 for the match to end 17-7 to Hampton!
U14B Football by Daniel L (3A)
The match on Saturday last week began on a chilly morning with over 50 boys heading to Charterhouse School. Our match was the first in a while so everyone was excited for the game ahead. The match began with our kick off. During the beginning of the match, good passes were played throughout the central midfield until a build-up of passes led out our left winger Robert B (3D) to cut in through the opposition’s defence, who took a shot which went right through the goalkeeper’s fingers. After the score shot up to 1-0 we were hopeful for more goals to come. Our team had dominated most possession thanks to all the practices we had the previous days. BAM! The other goalkeeper had kicked a very long ball which landed right by Maurice R (3H) foot but due to miscommunication our goalie had been left out in the open and a goal was unfortunately conceded. Thanks to our coach’s advice, we kept our heads up and our back four managed to keep the ball outside the halfway line and Yuvraj S (3F), our right-back, kept their left-winger pocketed completely.
In the second half, with the ball in the opposition’s possession, they stepped up their game in attack as a new right winger was subbed on. The tables had turned especially since he was the best in their team and it became quite a challenge for the defence. Just after around 10 minutes, Joe P played a ball into the centre back Daniel L (3A) who gave a good pass to Tom M who ran with the same pace as Jasper B in central midfield. Ball goes through… Bang! It went right into the net as Jasper smashed it top left from a very tight angle. Cheers were heard all over the pitch and spirits were kept up high. 2-2 was the end result in our game and we all seemed disappointed but our coach was encouraging us to to look forward to our next fixture against Eton College.
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. Don’t miss out!
CONNECTION CORNER
Well done to the 31 Hamptonians who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner and well done to everyone who correctly guessed the connection as elements of the Periodic Table! Big shout out to Shivang S, Leander K-B, Aaron L, Robbie M, Albert S, Oliver A, Theo S, Ameya M, Samuel H, Harry N, Oliver S, Sebastian S, Neel M, Eugene K, Matthew J, Ben B, Alex W, R=Teddy H, Adam M, Maurice R, Ed B, Aditya Ki, Mattias S-M, Johnny R, Aditya Ku, Tanmay B, Joshua R, Jude L S, Agalyan S and Eric M. Don’t forget to collect your merits! Bragging rights go to Form 3H with the most correct entries.
Another tricky one this week, have a go over the weekend and see if you can spot the connection:
In case you’re still perplexed, here are last week’s answers:
Who was the lead singer of the band Queen? Freddie Mercury
What is a five-cent coin known as in the USA? Nickel
Snowy is the name of the dog in which famous Belgian cartoon? Tin Tin
The Millennium Dome in Greenwich is now known by what name? The O2
Connection answer: Elements
