Welcome to the First Year Blog!
Another busy week has passed and it is hard to believe it is now only one week until the half term break! The First Years have been busy with lots of sports fixtures, the final rehearsals for Joseph (with performances starting on Monday – ‘break a leg’ to everyone involved!), an incredible Rock Concert last Friday evening, an insightful Talk! event on Monday and, as always, lots of clubs and fun on the 3G at lunchtime. Let’s go into next week with the same positivity and energy, and it will be time for a break before you know it!
FOOTBALL VICTORY
The U12B Footballers won their ESFA Cup match against Whitgift last week. Seb W (1B) and George S (1H) report on this exciting win:
On Friday 27 January, the U12B team beat Whitgift 5-4 on penalties after a very intense 2-2 draw after full time in the fourth round of the ESFA football cup.
After arriving at the Whitgift grounds, we had a short but physical warm-up consisting of passing, general fitness and tackling. As the start of the match grew closer, we were all waiting for the referee to blow the whistle. Soon, a loud peep rung in our ears, indicating the start of the match. We swiftly got into position. Whitgift started off strong, keeping possession. They advanced off a counterattack and seconds later they scored. Whitgift 1-0 Hampton. Shortly after intercepting a loose pass, our striker, Jojo, capitalised on the chance and slotted it past the goalkeeper. 1-1. When a period of possession going back and forth had tired both teams out, (especially us) their players used the advantage to get ahead and unfortunately scored, making the score 2-1.
A brief chat at half time made us feel confident to level the score. A few minutes later, a good ball over their midfield played our other striker, Leo, in for a goal, which he coolly finished, levelling the score at 2-2. After a few shots on goal at both ends, all being saved, the score remained 2-2 at full time. The match went to penalties. A sense of nervousness spread around both teams.
After deciding the penalty takers, our coaches announced them to be Leo, Sebastian, Jojo, Henry, and our captain Lewis. As their player walked up to the penalty spot, we all hoped for a miss. Seconds later, the ball found the back of the net. Our first penalty taker, Henry, took his and scored. Whitgift’s next player sent our keeper Louis the wrong way slotting the ball into the back of the net. The next penalty taker was Leo who scored cleanly. The opposition’s next penalty taker fortunately missed. ‘Yes,’ we all thought, filling ourselves with confidence. Jojo our next taker blasted the ball straight under the keeper (incredibly lucky!). Whitgift’s next player scored. Sebastian, walked up to the spot placing his penalty into the bottom corner. When Whitgift’s last player walked up to spot, we all realised he had to score for Whitgift to still have a chance for a win. ‘SWISH,’ he scored. As the last penalty was about to be taken by our captain Lewis, we all knew, if he scored, we would win. He ran at the ball, entirely focused. The ball sailed into the top corner, a goal, WE HAD WON!
All the Hampton team were ecstatic. We were through to the round of sixteen of the ESFA cup!
ROCK CONCERT
The Hammond Theatre was transformed into a rock concert venue for last week’s Rock Concert. The concert was incredible, with talented musicians from all year groups taking part. Watching it was an incredible evening and I would recommend any Hamptonian to come along next time! However, performing is even more exciting, Konrad G (1L) and Devam K (1B) have written about their experiences:
Last Friday, I performed in the Hampton Rock Concert in the Hammond Theatre. It was a super exciting event, and I could not wait to perform. For the concert, I was going to be performing in two acts: I was going to perform with my friends Ekam and Maccy (our band was called Three Republic). I was also performing with the Junior Rock Band. We had been practising our acts along with these bands for months now, and the time had finally come for us to showcase our hard work.
Before the concert, we had to do a sound check with the technical team, who controlled the lighting and how loud each instrument should be. When it was Three Republic’s turn, we stepped onto our stage and took our places. Me and Ekam took our places by the mic to sing. Our other member, Maccy, walked up onto a raised platform with a piano and began to play. We performed ‘Apologise’ by One Republic. The sound check went surprisingly well, and by the time we left the stage, we knew we were ready to perform.
Soon, I found myself on the stage again, this time ready to play the piano and sing (at the same time). All our band members – which consisted of me (the pianist and backing vocalist), our electric guitar and bass players, our drummer, and our lead singer. We were performing two songs: ‘Sweet Child of Mine,’ by Guns N’ Roses, and ‘Immigrant Song,’ by Led Zeppelin. The sound check went very well, and after some complex fine tuning, which was done by the tech team, we were ready. By Konrad G (1L)
At the start of the concert, the opening act was announced, and we waited in our changing rooms until it was our turn. I could feel a slight sensation of nerves kicking in, but at the same time I was trembling with excitement. One after another, people left the changing rooms for their acts, and everyone was fantastic. Finally, it was time for the Three Republic to sing our song. Nervously, we walked onto the stage, and prepared to perform. There was a deafening silence, and Maccy played a beautiful piano intro. In a matter of seconds, we found ourselves singing in front of a huge crowd, and it went amazingly well! We celebrated our first rock concert after hearing the standing ovation from the crowd.
Soon, once again, I found myself stepping up onto the stage, and sitting down at a piano. Our guitarists played the intro to ‘Immigrant Song,’ and I started playing the piano. Our first song went really well, and I could feel a large grin spread across my face as we completed it. Silence fell once again as we prepared to play our next song. Our drummer counted us in, and we started to play ‘Sweet Child of Mine.’ This was a well-known song, which got the crowd excited. I felt exhilarated by the number of eyes on us, and as I sang the chorus with our lead singer, I knew I would do this rock concert again.
I recommend to anyone who plays a rock instrument to showcase their talent, by joining a band or performing in any of the upcoming concerts. I think that the Rock Concert was a thrilling experience, and I would love to participate in it again. By Devam K (1B)
Rock on! Take a look at some of the photos from the evening here.
MEET Mr Jimenez!
This week, George S (1H) and Zac C (1H) interviewed one of their Form Tutors: Mr Jimenez!
Why did you want to become a chemistry teacher?
I enjoy solving problems and understanding how the world works, so why wouldn’t I?
What was your dream job as a child? Was it being a Chemistry teacher?
I wanted to be an actor or a chef, a chemistry teacher is a mix of them both!
What’s your favourite element on the periodic table?
Nitrogen, it is very useful for fertilisers, DNA, plastics, preserving food and it is also important in the molecule of caffeine, which is my most important molecule.
Who is your role model?
Rosa Parks, she was discriminated against and stood up for what she believed in.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I would go to the Philippines, my family is there and I would like to visit there again.
What is your favourite sport/sports team?
Los Angeles Lakers, they either have outstanding seasons or terrible seasons!
MEET THE MENTORS
Shishir V (1J) and Jai K (1J) interviewed one of their Form’s mentors: Freddy L (U6DCW).
Why did you decide to become a mentor?
Since First Year, I’ve aspired to care and look after younger kids and I was inspired by my Mentors.
What would you do differently if you had to do first year again?
I would probably have to take homework more seriously and use better revision methods.
What are you studying?
Further Maths, Maths, Music and Physics
Which uni/apprenticeship do you want to go to?
Imperial College to do material sciences.
What career do you want to take on?
Something to do with material sciences and physics, to power nuclear fusion reactors to make cleaner energy. That has always been my dream to change the world.
What is your favourite hobby?
I love to play the violin in orchestras.
What is your favourite book?
A trilogy called the End of Days about angels’ interactions with the world, by Susan Ee.
What is your favourite ice cream flavour?
Tough decision between strawberry and salted caramel.
Can you speak any other languages?
I did a Mandarin Pre-U, but I dropped it for Music.
How many holes does a straw have?
Two
TALK! ON MODERN SLAVERY
The Hampton Modern Slavery Talk! was an enlightening talk delivered by the eminent barrister Professor Parosha Chandran. She recounted to us several horrific court cases detailing a crime known as “human trafficking.” I learnt that human trafficking involves hiring or transferring of people (usually vulnerable) for misuse by way of threat force or abuse. One tragic case she mentioned involved a person that despite having been trafficked and managing to alert the police was still unable to get help at first due to lack of evidence. This demonstrated to me that modern slavery gangs are highly organised and know how to manipulate the law as well as vulnerable people. By Danyal P (1J)
THINK! CLUB
This Monday at 1:15, I went to room S18 for Think! Club, a new club that has just started this week. It was designed to be a club for solving puzzles and it was very fun to try and solve these riddles that seemed logically impossible at first, but eventually made sense once we figured them out. My highlight of the club was when we got to go onto a website and test which side of our brains was stronger; the right being creative and imaginative, and the left being very analytical and more logical thinking. It was a very exciting and fun club. By Rohan K (1J)
HAMPTON SINFONIA
Recently I have been attending the Sinfonia Orchestra. This is an orchestra made for the talented musicians of Hampton. A wide variety of instruments are available to play such as the cello, violin and trumpet. There is a chance to play with the Sinfonia members each term in a concert. Boys with grade 4 and over standard are able to join. By Louis C (1J)
Lego Architecture Club
This week, saw the much anticipated bridge testing finale in Lego Architecture Club. Judges Miss Moore and Mr Richards assessed the strength and design of the amazing constructions. Who will be crowned master builder?
TUTEE OF THE WEEK
Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a boy who they have been particularly impressed with, and Mr Hill and Mrs Peattie provide him with a football to use on the fields for the week!
This week’s tutee of the week is Joshua A (1F) as Ms Czumaj, Mrs Havord, Mr Hill and Mrs Peattie have been impressed with him always being polite and having a positive approach to School life. Congratulations, Joshua!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Only four more sleeps until opening night! There are a still a few tickets available for this year’s Junior School Musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat! The joint cast of Hamptonians and Waldegrave pupils will bring this magical musical to life. Performances take place on Tuesday 7, Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 February and tickets can be booked here.
SPECIAL SHOUTOUTS!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school and to celebrate your successes in the First Year Blog! Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mr Fuldner (d.fuldner@hamptonschool.org.uk).
FIRST YEAR FIVE QUESTIONS
An impressive 48 First Year Hamptonians had a go at last week’s quiz, well done to everyone who had a go! And we have a new champion – Form 1B are crowned weekly champions with a fantastic 11 entries. Merits go to:
1P: Oliver Y, Ollie B, Lucas T, Alp O, Jonathan A, Sion K
1J: Henry S, Danyal P, David W, Josh B, Rohan K, Devan D, Neil T, Jai K, Shishir V
1L: Armaan V, Macsen B, Rajvir S, Edison Y, Willoughby E, Alexandre A, Konrad G
1W: Huw C, Dean B, Inwoo Y, Brooklyn N, Isaac d Q
1B: Fred O, Ari E, Neal H, Gabriel K S, Sebastian W, Joe B, Alex G, Jiashan L, Nathaniel O, Devan K, Freddie R,
1H: Matthew K, Joseph O’S, Lucas T, Joshua L, George S
1F: Daniel S, Eeston Z, Nico W, Ben J, Dean F,
Take a look at this week’s questions – have a go yourself or challenge people at home and see if they know the answer.
- What’s the chemical symbol for silver?
- Which is older: the pyramids at Giza or Stonehenge?
- For what film did Steven Spielberg win his first Oscar for Best Director?
- What is the highest active volcano in Europe?
- In which sport do competitors refer to ‘catching a crab’?
Merits are awarded for everyone who has a go! Just click on the link below and enter your answers; points for the Interform Competition will be awarded to the form with the most entries every week.
Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Take a look at next week’s blog to find out the answers and here are the answers to last week’s questions:
- How many spice options are there at Nandos? 6 – Plain…(ish), Lemon and Herb, Medium, Hot, Extra Hot, Vusa XX Hot
- What part of a plant conducts photosynthesis? Leaf
- Which Scottish actress plays Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy series of films? Karen Gillan
- Which two houses were involved in the War of the Roses? York, Lancaster
- What is the capital of New Zealand? Wellington
Remember to write your name in the form so you can be credited with merits!
