Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
The end of another great week for Second Years. This week’s main event was the ESFA Final – it was a fantastic day for those who travelled up to Stoke to see the game but the atmosphere in the Hammond was also incredible – well done to all involved for being such a brilliant support and showing your Hampton pride!
PSHE this week was also about Careers, and we worked together to debunk some common myths and misconceptions such as ‘True or false: once you pick a career, you do that for the rest of your life.’ It was really interesting to get an insight into the kinds of careers our Second Years are considering, and we’ll continue on this topic in the coming weeks.
MERIT MILESTONES!
Another bumper week for merits! Well done to the following Second Years:
Danai Thomas – 20
Alexander Marshall – 20
Sena Kelly – 20
Sena Kelly – 30
Alexander Barton – 30
Atulya Sahi – 40
Tolu Idowu – 40
Krishang Toprani – 40
Ethan Geiger – 50 (Fantastic!)
Ed Pedder – 50 (Super!)
Kiran Grover – 60 (Tremendous!)
Kiran Grover – 70 (Fabulous!)
Rory McEwan – 90 (Wow!)
Rory McEwan – 100 (Triple figures!)
Josh Millington-Jones – 100 (Congratulations!)
Tutor Question Time!
This week’s Tutor Question time was suggested by Zachariya I (2L) and it caused great discussion and debate in our registration time.
This week the pupils wanted to know… If you’re doing a handstand, are you holding the earth or is the earth holding you…?
Holding the earth: Miss Mattinson (until she fell to the ground), Miss Winstock, Miss Tiller
Earth holding you: Mrs Owen, Miss Bryant, Mr Hooper, Miss Holt, all of 2H.
Have you ever had a burning question you’ve always wanted to ask your form tutors, then please send your suggestions for next week’s Tutor Question Time to b.tiller@hamptonschool.org.uk.
Exciting ESFA
As you probably know, Hampton’s U18 First XI got into the ESFA finals against Shrewsbury School. The final took place at Stoke City FC, and you may have been there with me (and endured the 3 and a half hour coach ride) or watched it on live stream. It was a very tense match. Shrewsbury kicked off, and it was a constant tug of war between the goals. However, soon, our team broke through and scored an amazing first goal. The celebrations were wild. Soon after, the second goal was scored, after an intense battle for possession inside the opposition’s box. In the second half, Shrewsbury struck back, making the score 2-1. I preferred this half as it was more exciting, and many skills were shown. Then, one Hamptonian skilled up two players and scored an unbelievable goal. The match ended 3-1. It was very tense and atmospheric, and the end of match celebrations were something to behold. I hope next year we get to the finals!
By Umair M (2L)
Fun facts about Hampton!
This week Dominic N (2L) decided to see what fun facts he could discover about Hampton – hopefully there’s at least one new fact for you on this list!
- When the school was started in 1557, they educated no more than 20 people
- On Hampton’s 450th anniversary, they started building the 450 Hall, which was later re-named the Hammond Theatre
- The Mulberry Tree was planted in 1924, and still stands proudly in the cloisters
- In 1939, the school relocated to where it is now, however it immediately closed to allow modifications to the site because of the outbreak of the Second World War
TALK! BBC Royal Correspondent
Last Monday, BBC Royal Correspondent Sarah Campbell visited our school to give us an insightful and thought-provoking TALK on the British Royal Family, their reaction to the death of the Queen, and the recent Harry and Megan saga. She also talked about her career in journalism and how she got into it. She also gave everyone a bit of insight into her role, playing several clips of her throughout the Jubilee. Overall, I would have recommended the TALK to any budding journalists, or anyone with a keen interest in our Royal Family.
By Rory M (2B)
Lunchtime Recital
Today, in the Hammond, nine enthusiastic (but slightly nervous!) musicians prepared to play their pieces, on various instruments, which they had been practising for weeks. Kiran G (2B) tells us more:
The recitals are a great way to build confidence, since you are playing in front of a small, friendly audience. They are easy to sign up for – just write your name on the sheet in the Garrick foyer. If you don’t want to play but feel like listening to some music, you can pop into the Hammond on most Friday lunches (first half) to hear music (not always classical). Having performed previously on the piano myself, they are great fun as you can play and listen to other musicians. From 2B, myself (piano), Rory M (trumpet) and Theo L (piano) played in today’s recital.
Well done to all our musicians who braved the Hammond stage!
Junior MathS Challenge
Alex L (2L) and the rest of Second Year took part in the Junior Maths Challenge last Wednesday, Alex tells us about the experience:
As we entered the Main Hall, adrenaline rushed through our veins. We sat down with nothing but our iPads and pencils to guide us through this examination. As we typed in the code the tension grew, some of us have already started the time and leapt onto the first question. Eventually, I was in the challenge, and I raced through the easier questions, aware of the limited time. The only experience of comparable size was the 11+. However, my pace noticeably decreased as the questions got harder and required more thought. Finally, the time struck 0 as the working was collected and the room was filled by sighs of relief and perhaps regret as people were exchanging their answers to different questions, hoping for a similarity. Overall, it was a fun experience!
Subject of the week: Fulfilling Philosophy!
This year‘s philosophy is even better than last year! In Religious Studies and Philosophy we do two more philosophical topics and two religions so far. I prefer the philosophy topics, especially the problem of evil. Almost every lesson we do a fun activity. 2L’s favourite topic is the role plays. One pupil said “my favourite activity in RS was role play when we acted out the story of the Book of Job as God”. My favourite was when we performed Augustine’s Theodicy where my friend was a snake doing a worm and I was the devil. Also, the ethical dilemmas were very interesting and divisive. It led to some very heated debates!
By Umair M (2L)
Club of the Week – Junior Philosophy Club
Junior Philosophy Club takes place on Wednesdays at 13:25 for First and Second Years. It’s hosted by Mr Vann-Alexander and every week, you either play some games (Word association) or you discuss some philosophical topics (A chair from earth has been floating around for years in space, until some aliens come across it. They think of it as a hat. Is it still a chair or is it a hat?) It’s definitely a worthwhile experience and something that, if you’re keen on, you could try. It’s located in the Quiet Room in the philosophy department so discussions can be comfortable and fun.
By Max D and Zach I (2L)
Junior Programming Team
Theo L (2B) explains what happens at one of our lunchtime clubs:
Junior Programming Team is a club for programmers looking to refine and improve their skills! It happens every Tuesday lunchtime starting from 1pm, lasting until 1.45.
In Programming Team, we try lots of fun Python problems (they might not sound fun at first but are a great way to try harder problem solving), such as Prime Factorisation, Caesar Ciphers, and printing Christmas Trees! There are challenges for every level, increasing in difficulty. These challenges aim to work you towards A Level programming, enabling you to compete in the British Information Olympiad!
We use Replit, a collaborative coding platform, for the problems. Each problem has clear instructions on how to solve it. Once you have solved the problem, Replit automatically reviews the code using simple input and output tests. So, there is no need for teacher review – you can just carry on to the next one.
If you are stuck on any problem, the teachers and Sixth Form students, who are very experienced programmers, will guide you very helpfully! Additionally, if you are doing coding at home, there is a special Microsoft Team, so you can also ask for help there.
If you want to join, just come along and have fun!
JOKE COMPETITION
The Second Year Joke Competition continues to bring those who come to Blog Club a good laugh, thank you for all your submissions! This week the winning joke was submitted by Dominic N (2L) Congratulations, you’ve won a Merit!
Q: Why did the boy fall off his bike?
A: Because his mum threw a fridge at him.
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!
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
We absolutely love being able to celebrate your achievements, so please make sure you send anything you’re proud of to: b.tiller@hamptonscool.org.uk
QUIZ OF THE WEEK
Well done to everyone who had a go at last week’s quiz. Merits go to:
2J: Nihal B
2L: Olly P
2H: AJ C, Darhan S
2B: Rory M, Kiran G, Daniel M
2F: Ishaan A, Manraj G
2W: Oliver S
Take a look at this week’s questions below, 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.
Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers from last week’s quiz:
- Street artist Banksy is originally associated with which British city? Bristol
- How many spice options are there at Nandos? 6 – Plain…(ish), Passion Fruit and Mango, Lemon and Herb, Medium, Hot, Extra Hot
- If you completed the Three Peaks challenge, which three UK mountains would you have climbed? Ben Nevis, Snowdon, Scafell Pike
- Who are Harry Potter’s two best friends? Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger
- How many keys are there on a piano? 88
