Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
Half term! Mufti day! What a life!
The blog is full to the brim this week, to the extent that the Third Year Blog waffling on about the weather or some other nonsense is only going to get in the way of you getting to everything that Third Year Hamptonians have been getting on with.
We have an interview with the U14A Football captain, alongside a report from their ESFA Cup victory from last week. We have a report on the History Society and their quiz. We have an insight into the work done behind the scenes at The Little Shop of Horrors, this year’s fantastic Senior School musical. There is a report from the Arts Trip to Roche Court, along with some superb piano playing We have an update from the titanic battles that occurred at the Interform Tug of War competition. Perhaps most impressively, we also have a report of a Hamptonian winning a prize from the Royal Society of Biology.
The perfect storm of sport, art, music and science! A magnificent way to head into half term…
Heads of Year Message
We were pleased to receive reports from the Art department that Third Year pupils generally behaved well whilst on the two trips to Roche Court earlier this week. We expect equally high standards of behaviour from everyone going on the Geography trip to Tenerife over the half term holiday and look forward to hearing all about that trip on our return.
Interform Competition
Most of the Year Group either took part in or supported their classmates at the Interform Tug-of-War on Thursday lunchtime. Spirits were high and the competition was fierce, but crucially the boys showed themselves to be good humoured and supportive of one another, which meant the event was a joyous way for everyone to conclude the half term.
Grade Cards
Grade Cards are available to view via the Parent Portal from 4.30pm today (Friday 20 October). Form Tutors will follow up with boys after half term to discuss academic progress and set targets where necessary.
Boys – you have done yourselves proud this half term in the way you have thrown yourselves wholeheartedly into the challenges and opportunities available. We certainly feel that the boys are living up to the aims we set them at the start of the year:
- Aim for personal best
- Be kind to everyone
- Get involved
- Speak up if you need assistance
We hope that everyone enjoys a well-deserved break over the half term holiday.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mrs M Bedford
Royal Society of Biology Art competition
When I learned that the Royal Society of Biology organised an art competition, I became very excited. The theme was to create a biology illustration of a specimen of my choice, providing a fantastic way to combine my passion for Art and Biology. I wanted to select an original subject, so I chose the axolotl, as it is one of the most unique and interesting animals I know. From a scientific perspective, the axolotl is mind-blowing, as it can regrow entire lost limbs, as well as parts of its spine, organs, and brain. Visually, it is also mesmerising, with an almost alien appearance. I thought that attempting to depict its translucent pale skin, friendly face, and those peculiar external gills would be a fascinating challenge.
For my artwork, I used a large A1 cardboard, acrylic paints, coloured pencils, and a white ink marker for text and lines. I began by collecting as many figures and photographs as I could find. I created a sketch on A4 paper with several variations until I found a composition that was both visually pleasing and scientifically accurate. Then, it was a matter of transferring the sketch on a larger scale and writing a significant amount of text.
Winning the competition came as a big surprise. The icing on the cake was the award ceremony held at Parliament in Westminster. I had the opportunity to visit such an iconic place and spend over two hours with some truly amazing and inspirational scientists who were all very friendly and eager to offer advice on my studies and life in general.
By Leonardo F (3F)
Hampton History Quiz
Last Friday, and indeed, this Friday by the time many blog readers have read this, we participated in the History Quiz. The awesome quiz takes place every Friday in the Lecture Theatre and the best teams win a pack of maltesers at the end, with prizes also going to the best junior team. Any year group can participate in the quiz; there are a wide range of boys from First Year to Sixth Formers so you won’t be alone. The quiz is a fun and entertaining way of learning about history and expanding your knowledge.
Our personal favourite is the AI images round, where we have to try and guess what historical event ChatGPT is trying to represent. It blends teamwork with historical knowledge and even if you don’t feel you are a confident historian, come along and bring a friend, if just to enjoy the atmosphere and have a go.
By Kiran G and Rory M (3A)
Tug of War
If there is one thing that is guaranteed to perfectly prepare the Third Years for three periods of careful and thoughtful study post-lunch, it is participating in the Interform Tug of War competition. The video below captures perfectly the understated, not-at-all testosterone-fuelled atmosphere.
In terms of results for the Tug of War, here they are:
1st – 3D
2nd – 3C
3rd – 3A
4th – 3E
5th – 3H
6th – 3B
Joint 7th – 3F, 3G, 3J
The overall standings demonstrate that there is still an awful lot to play for.
1st: 3C – 15 pts
Joint 2nd: 3D, 3E, 3G, 3H – 12pts
6th: 3A – 9pts
7th: 3F – 8pts
8th: 3J – 7pts
9th: 3B – 5pts
Little Shop of Horrors
Many of you will have been to watch the sensational musical Little Shop of Horrors this week. While the lead actors garner all the plaudits, these productions can’t happen without a pride of Hamptonians working behind the scenes. Theo L (3A) gives us an insight…
There are many more roles in a musical production than many realise. As well as the amazing cast, there is a band, puppeteers and a team of technical crew – who are essential to the production, contributing to the audio, lighting, props and more. None of the audience members see us, because we stay backstage or in the Hammond control room – so I will give a brief insight onto how the crew are structured and what we do for the play.
Deputy Stage Manager: The DSM reads the script and sheet music, and speaks into comms telling the lighting crew and audio operators what they need to do at that very moment. Apart from the Hammond Team (who lead the crew for the production and manage the stage), the DSM is the highest position in the pupil-run crew hierarchy. This is an extremely hard job to do, so please thank Edmund if you meet him.
Lighting and Audio Operators: Operate lighting and audio through computers. Spot lighting is also included. There are many different types of lights, and operating them requires training on the computer-based consoles (in case of an emergency, manual control is required, which involves knowing several commands on the console). Audio operators turn off and on the headset mics so that the voices and singing can be heard, and fire sound effects at the discretion of the DSM.
Assistant Stage Manager and Stagehands: The ASM lead the stagehands (including me) in ensuring silence and no phones in the wings of the Hammond, as well as handing out props to the cast. The jobs also involve laying props on the stage (in the case of this play, this includes the dentist’s chair, money, vines, and many other props). At some points we can get extremely busy, and at some other points we wait.
Prop Managers: Assist with the stagehands in handing out props (although backstage, not in the wings), as well as organising props so that they can easily be reached. They will likely know exactly where a prop is if it has been lost.
Take a look at some of the photos from Little Shop of Horrors. Remember…don’t feed the plants!
Music Maestros
Francis S (3G) and Lucas Z (3J) tickled the ivories as they entertained their classmates (and the general public) with two fantastic performances on the piano….in Fleet Services on the M3! The talented Hamptonians were on their way to Roche Court for the Third Year Art Trip when they showcased their brilliant piano skills.Take a listen below:
New Arts Centre Trip to Roche Court
And talking of the Art Trip, let’s hear all about it from Francis S (3C).
This Wednesday, my peers and I went on the Art Trip to the New Arts Centre at Roche Court.On the day we were greeted by four very nice instructors, who took us to the Logstore which was going to be our base for the day. They gave us a clipboard, pencil, paper and then we were off in our four groups. My group first went to a sculpture made by Peter Randall Page called Fructus which means fruit in Latin and explains the pineapple like structure. The sculpture was made of limestone and enormous: we were told that it weighed about 12 tonnes!
After that, we then went to see the interior sculptures. The buildings they were in looked nice, and so was the art inside. But the prices of the art pieces had everyone dumbfounded. Most of the artworks were around 15,000 to 18,000 pounds! Nevertheless, they were all very amazing artworks. Afterwards, we discussed everyday items being made from useless things, for example a sponge cup. My group came up with a graphite eraser and other good ideas, such as a glass bowling ball. Thank you to all the art teachers for arranging the trip and making it possible.
U14A ESFA Football report
It was a cold Thursday afternoon, everyone tired and looking forward to the weekend. However, for us the A team, we were energetic and ready for our first ESFA game against Bishop Thomas Grant School.
The whistle started the first half, and we were underway. The first 15 minutes was an open game, however we had more possession. We had the first slice of the blade from Noah RdM winning us a penalty. Alex P confidently walked up to the penalty spot and converted the penalty with composure. From there the game went our way and we had the confidence and started to win a lot more of our 50/50s. The first half came to an end, and we were the happier of the 2 teams.
The second half started, and Bishop Thomas Grant School started to have the possession. However, once we settled into the second half, we were much the better side. We wanted a second goal to take some pressure of us and we won a corner. Alex P took the corner, and it came straight to the edge of the box and Leo N slotted it bottom left corner and we got the goal we needed. From there Bishop Thomas Grant School stood no chance. We got stuck in every tackle and won every battle on the pitch. Our third goal came from the counterattack with Leo N finishing it off by placing it bottom right corner. We all had smiles across our face enjoying our football and to put the cherry on top, Myan M did a fake pass to get past the defender and curled it far post. The whistle blew to end the match and we came off the pitch with joyous expressions on our face.
By Leo N (3H)
Meet the Captain
The Third Year Blog found time out of its busy schedule to get George E (3E) (U14A Football captain) to take time out of his busy schedule in order to ask him some questions about how the season has been going so far.
Third Year Blog: How has the season been going so far?
George E: It has been a great start to the season, and we have played some close matches and as a team we are starting to settle down and play some great pieces of football at times.
TYB: You have successfully progressed in the ESFA Cup – how confident are you heading into the next round?
GE: Yes, we had a great win in the second round, they were a strong team so I am proud of the team and the football we have played. We are confident we can progress in the tournament.
TYB: How have the new joiners in the year fitted into the squad? What have they brought to the team?
GE: We have had three new boys join the team: Myan M, Alex P and Leo N. Myan has brought pace and a great passing ability as well as always making the coach journeys lots of fun. Alex has brought additional vision and creativity to our midfield with his talent of being able to drive into space and playing a beautiful ball penetrating the opposition’s back line. Leo is a strong CDM and lets the ball flow fluidly throughout the pitch but also makes the games and training sessions lots of fun.
TYB: Beyond Rufus L’s legendary goal from earlier in the season, what has been the highlight moment so far?
GE: Myan scored a solo goal in our ESFA Cup game where he got pushed out to the corner flag with a defender on his back. He suddenly turned quickly knocking the ball past the defender and ran towards the goal, beat another defender and dribbled around the keeper to coolly slot it into the back of the net. But it is difficult to overlook Oliver K scoring four in a game against Wilson’s School.
TYB: Tactically, what has Mr Hooper been asking you all to work on most?
GE: Mr Hooper has been asking us to move it around the back quicker to release the pressure put on us.
TYB: What are your hopes for the rest of the season?
GE: I have high hopes for the rest of the season. We, of course, would like to win all of our games and believe we can, however we know that we will be coming up against other strong teams who will want to do the same.
TYB: Finally, what did you think of England’s victory against Italy on Tuesday? Now they’ve qualified, do you think they could win Euro 2024?
GE: I think that England could definitely win it. However, France and Portugal are also strong contenders for me.
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Form 3C were lucky enough to spot a rainbow over the School fields this week and Bailey H-C and Shanjeet K both snapped away to take a fantastic photo. Did anyone find the pot of gold by the Hampton School football goals and rugby posts?
Two truths and a lie
Last week Mr Hurst delivered us one appalling lie, alongside some truth:
- Mr Hurst once hit a six at the Ageas Bowl, home of Hampshire and Southern Brave
- Mr Hurst once scored a goal against Hampton School
- Mr Hurst was once a mascot for Manchester United
Those of you who have seen Mr Hurst play cricket will be rightfully shocked to hear that he HAS hit a six at the Ageas Bowl. You might be less shocked to hear that he did once score a goal against Hampton School. Which means that the lie is the final one. If you know Mr Hurst well, you would know that he is fan of Reading FC, meaning that he could never bring himself to step on to a pitch in a Manchester United kit.
This week, we have a massive name stepping into the Two Truths and a Lie booth: Mrs Bedford, Joint Head of Year. She sent the Third Year Blog the below (it is worth noting that the Third Year Blog had to dissuade her from issuing herself with a conduct detention for lying – she is never off duty).
- Miss Bedford has been swimming in open water with sharks and sea lions
- Miss Bedford has five cats, named after the main characters in The Famous Five
- Miss Bedford once read the news live on the radio whilst standing in a pond of koi carp
Which is the lie?
CONNECTION CORNER
The IT gremlins visited the Third Year Blog last weekend and as a result, Connection Corner ended up having a week off! Here’s another fiendish conundrum to have a go at over the half term break.
Have a great half term holiday!
Back to All Articles
