Awesome Adventure, County Cup & Time for Table Tennis!

Welcome to the First Year Blog!

Another week has passed and it has been a busy one – lots of classes have had tests in recent weeks and the effort everyone has put into revising has left some of you feeling a little bit tired. Fortunately next week is a chance to have some time off in the evening and recharge your batteries, as it is a homework holiday! This coincides with our screen time experiment, when you will be aiming to keep your phone time as low as possible. You will given some suggestions of other activities you may want to try – give them a go and let your Form Tutors know how you’re getting on!

With only two and a half weeks to go now until the Christmas break we are entering a fun and festive period at School. There’s a very important milestone for First Year Hamptonians on Friday 1 December so make sure you enter School via Reception to see what I mean! Although there will be lots of fun activities, including the Christmas lunch and Christmas Concerts, it is important to keep going with the same focus, positivity and energy in lessons throughout the final few weeks so we can all enjoy a positive end to the term. Keep up the energy everyone, and before you know it we will be singing along to Mariah Carey!

ADVENTURE IN THE SURREY HILLS

36 First Year pupils spent last weekend in the Surrey Hills on their first Adventure Society trip! Alex B (1L) tells us all about it:

Last weekend, I went on the Adventure Society trip to Bentley Copse. There were several interesting activities. The first activity was the zip wire. The zip wire was fun, but also a good experience, as we got to wear special machinery, unlike the handheld zip wires. You climb up the tall, rather ominous looking wooden staircase, and you go around a tree, and jump off into the evening, zooming on a wire when the stars are peeping in the sky, and bats are fluttering around you. You speed off, and land into a sandbox the ‘runway’ which is marked by several lights which I thought was clever, as they were aligned like the lights on a real runway. I unpacked all my bags, and my sleeping bag, into a giant dorm which had eight bunk beds and sixteen pupils inside. At dinner we had a delicacy of pizza, and I and lots of others were so hungry from doing the activities, that they absolutely wolfed down one slice after another. We played several board games, and we got prepared for another great activity.

I along with three others, prepared for night orienteering. We had to find roughly 25 different allocated points on the map, with a piece of paper, a pen, a flashlight, and nothing else. The experience showed how good we were as a team, and worked together through the beautiful starlight, that illuminated the sky like a giant glowing tapestry of different constellations, and through the eerie darkness of the wilderness and the thick dark woods. We did well as a team and found more than half of the points, supporting each other through the pitch blackness. We returned to the warm cosy building, to settle down, and watch some of the ‘Grinch’ which I thought was quite humorous. I slipped into my sleeping bag, and my eyes sagged and then closed in a few minutes.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my excited room-mates. They had already packed most of their stuff and were off to breakfast. When I reached the line, and got my food, I got a bowl of coco pops and some toast. After I ate enough to satisfy my appetite, I went to join our group to go to the cave maze. Everyone was unsure about what the cave maze was. I personally thought it was an actual natural cave, which in my mind sounded a bit boring. But I was quickly proved very wrong. When we reached the place, it was a small hut like building. It was an artificially created maze with cameras. There were trolls, and one troll hunter throughout the maze, which was pitch black and spooky, and had several dead ends. The small hut-like maze seemed to be ginormous in the dark. I was scared to go down from the third floor of the maze to the second floor of the maze because the hole leading down to the floor seemed to be endless and seemed to be like a black hole. For a second, I must admit my heart was in my mouth when I couldn’t immediately feel the ground. But at around my waist height, I was relieved to find that I had reached solid ground.

We split into groups for biking, which was mountain biking along a steep and dirty track, filled with tons of wet mud, which my bike’s wheels got stuck in several times. It required physical  and mental strength. Just when I thought I could go no more, we reached the summit of the hill after about an hour and a half through thick mud and steep trails. I inhaled my sandwich and crisps, and we quite literally hit the road again, as we went down a smooth, down hill road, at a quick but steady speed. When we got back to the hut, I was more than relieved that I hadn’t fallen in the mud, or crashed my bike. I finished packing my day back in my cosy room, and fell asleep almost instantaneously.

TABLE TENNIS MATCH

Naivedya A (1L) and Shaurya D (1L) report on a recent Table Tennis match:

On Tuesday break, as soon as the bell rang, I sped to the sports office in the pavilion, where I politely asked if I was playing for the U13B against KCS Wimbledon after the school day had ended. This was because, last Friday, during Table Tennis Club, Mr Hooper had asked if I wanted to play a match against a different school. I replied that I wanted to and was told I would get an email if I was playing. Over the weekend and Monday, I eagerly checked my emails, waiting for the one saying I would play in the match. When I was accepted, I was ecstatic, over the moon for I had really wanted to play at least one fixture by the end of the term. But playing the matches were a little bit different than that. In the end, I played two singles and ended up losing both. I wasn’t that happy but was grateful I played. By Naivedya A (1L)

I had a great experience representing Hampton School and playing at my first tournament against KCS Wimbledon on Tuesday 21 November. I was thrilled and felt my adrenaline levels shoot up. Upon entering the sports hall, I felt confident and raring to give it a go. As soon as the matches started, the sports hall sounded like constant pattering of rain drops. I played two singles and one double matches. I began playing opposite my first opponent, unfortunately, I lost against him by 11/7 and 11/3. The game went on… and I was facing the next opponent. Alas I lost against him as well with slightly better score at 11/9 and 11/7. After a five minute break, I gathered myself and got ready for the doubles match. I was accompanied by my teammate Julian, although we lost by a very short margin, we had a lot of camaraderie during the match. Even though we lost all or our matches against KCS Wimbledon, who were an extremely outstanding team, it was a spectacular experience and I learnt lots of fabulous new techniques. Hopefully we will have better luck next time. By Shaurya D (1L)

Football COUNTY CUP

The U12A team football match against Richard Challoner in the Surrey cup was intense and outstanding. The atmosphere in the bus was buzzing and everyone was excited to be playing in the first round of the County Cup. However, I can’t hold back on saying that we were all very nervous. The game kicked off and the other team were all over us and we were lucky that they didn’t score in the first five minutes! They were quite rough and we couldn’t even get out of our own half. 

Suddenly, after a great tackle by JJ the ball fell out to Oliver who played a marvellous through ball to our top scorer Neil who smashed it into goal. We found ourselves in the lead but barely. It was half time, and we were told to stay resilient and keep clinching on to lead. We were now dominating and had loads of shots and easily defended them. It was all going to plan until their centre back did a lucky shot and it came off the bar and their player headed it home. We didn’t stop fighting and were super determined to get this win but at full time it remained 1-1 so it went to extra time. They had an early attack which Harry defended and played a through ball to Neil who came down for a penalty. This was it, this was our chance to win. With a loud crowd behind him Neil stepped up and scored, now all we had to do was to defend for five minutes. However, their player got through on goal in the last second and…

JJ came in with an amazing sliding tackle and that was full time and we won the game. By Rafi B (1W)

NEW PUPILS’ CONCERT

Although this happened last week, some more excellent reviews have come in from Rey J (1L) and David T (1H):

The New Pupils’ Concert was an amazing experience and it was an honour to play in it. The excitement in the air was tangible and the prowess of the performers was exceptional. There was a large variety of instruments being showcased, from the guitar to the piano and the violin to the double bass. We were also treated to the performance of the First Year rock band Thunderstrike, who played Highway to Hell, an awesome piece that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I played Csikos Post by Hermann Necke which is a lively piece with lots of humour. I practised for a month before the New Pupils’ Concert, trying to bring out the liveliness of the piece, as it tries to portray a Csikos. This is an agile, cheeky performer, who stands on the backs of two horses and drives three more in front of him in “pickaxe” formation. In several parts of the piece, there is a distinct buzz of the underlying galloping noise of the harmony, whilst the melody depicts the dangers and tricks that the Csikos would perform to taunt the audience.

Despite all my practise, my nerves were still playing as butterflies cartwheeling in my stomach as I entered the stage. Drawing on all the experience that I had from playing in various concerts in the past, I harnessed my nervousness and utilised it to give me that burst of energy which compels one to exceed their “best”. Overall it was a phenomenal experience, with every instrumentalist playing uniquely, accompanied by the overwhelming applause from the audience. It was a pleasure to be part of this concert and to share the beauty of music with my friends, family and teachers. By David T (1H)

As I waited on the wings of The Hammond, anticipating the time of my performance, I paced up and down the corridor, trying to shake the nervousness out. It was Tuesday 14 November, the day when the New Pupils’ Concert was set to take place. This concert was highly anticipated by the new musicians of Hampton School as they would get the chance to showcase their musical talent for the first time on stage. There was a buzz in the atmosphere as the performers headed down to the dining hall. Yes, you read it right, I did mean dining hall. Part of the preparations included getting our instruments ready, rehearsals and a hot dinner!

The clock struck 7pm as we entered The Hammond Theatre and took our seats. The parents and teachers slowly filled in and sat down. The spacious hall glowed in the energetic aura waiting for the concert to begin. The programme started with an excellent tune from the violin and set the mood for the performances. Vivid tunes played on pianos, violins, guitars, cello, clarinet, double bass, voice, and drums created a vibe of joy. A wide variety and style of music was played, be it classical, Jazz, Rock & Pop. There were in total 38 performances which entertained the audience throughout the evening.

I walked on the stage to a warm and encouraging applause. Anxious by the crowd, I set up and took a few deep breaths. I became the centre point for those two-three minutes of my performance. With the support and encouragement of the accompanist, teachers, and my friends, I was able to play well with confidence. Indeed, all of my co-musicians played really well and filled the heart of the audience with soulful tunes. As the last note was played, the audience broke out into applause and the concert ended with a bang, happiness, and excitement. By Rey J (1L)

CHECKMATE

On Thursday 17 November, Hampton played a fixture against Sutton Grammar which we won. Around ten people were in the team who led our school to victory. The minibus took around an hour to get to Sutton and the team of Hamptonians bought their win home at eight in the evening. It was truly wonderful feeling to walk home winning for my school. By Ethan S-W (1L)

Tutee of the Week

Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a pupil 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 Emile S (1W) for his kindness, honesty, and his excellent approach to school life and embracing the Hampton ethos. Well done Emile!

SPECIAL SHOUT-OUTS!

Sujay N (1L) reports he achieved the iDEA Bronze certificate – well done Sujay!

Recently I got the iDEA Bronze Certificate, which is quite a big achievement for me. iDEA stands for the Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award. It is a fun way for young people to develop digital skills that they can use in the real world. You get to learn about GIF making, cyber security, Virtual Reality and many more useful elements which will be useful throughout your Hampton career and beyond. You can have a go at the exciting activities for yourself here. There are three badges to complete: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The Bronze badge takes 250 points to complete, Silver takes 300, and Gold takes 500. I’m currently attempting the Silver badge, so when I achieve that, I’ll write about it!

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).

THE HAMPTON HUNT

Each week I will set you a challenge where you need to find out a random fact, number or indeed anything else around the School – you won’t be able to do this from home! Points for the interform competition will be awarded to the Form with the most correct entries over the course of the term! You have until the end of Wednesday to complete the challenge; you will find out in next week’s blog if you’re correct, and you will be given a merit by your Form Tutor the following Monday. And who knows – you might get to know the School better in the process!

Last week’s challenge: What kind of tree was first planted on the old school site and can now be found in the Cloisters?

You were of course able to find the answer in the Cloisters – it is a Mulberry tree!

A big shout out to the First Years who correctly found the answer to last week’s Hampton Hunt. Well done to Francisco C I (1F), William H (1F), Joseph G (1F), Emile S (1W), Reuben N (1W), Ruhaan V (1B), Jack T (1B), Riyaan G (1B), Yousuf H (1B), Dan E (1B), Charlie F (1B), Teddy A (1B), Asher C (1H), Luoke W (1H), James A (1H), Julian M (1H), Ilakian D (1H),  Liangxu Z (1H), Zaki T (1H), David T (1H), Harry M (1H), Patrick J (1H), Shaurya D (1L), Harry C (1L), Matthew T (1L), Xander L (1J), Naivedya A (1L), Toby B (1P), and Milan S (1P) for getting the correct answer! Make sure you collect a merit from your Form Tutor next week!

If you did know the answer but didn’t enter it into the blog last week, make sure you do so this week as it won’t count otherwise!

This week’s challenge: