WELCOME TO THE SECOND YEAR BLOG!
Without doubt, the highlight of the week was Second Year’s hilarious performances of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes in the Hammond. Thank you, boys, for donning silly wigs, pigs’ ears, frilly dresses and wolf costumes, to ensure we all had a laugh at these twisted fairy tales. It was also the Keyboard Festival and we have a report on tonight’s concert.
Second Years have been given forms this week to write down the names of friends they would like to be with in the reshuffle of form groups next academic year. This is a private, personal form and not one to be discussed with others. I am keen to stress, as a former Assistant Head of Year in Third Year, that the new form groups bring lots of opportunities to make new friends.
In other news, the ducks are back in the Cloisters! Also, look out next week for the Tardis…it’s moving location in honour of the Doctor Who Talk! Monday lunchtime. As an appetiser, our quiz this week is Doctor Who themed.
Please do email me your stories about events, matches or your interests.
MERIT MILESTONES
Another bumper week for merits! Well done to the following Second Years:
Aiden Farrugia – 10
Dennis Hayes – 20
George Halberstadt – 20
Joshua Witty – 20
Mattie Rogers – 30
Sam Diggins – 30
Ollie Barclay – 30
Finn Readey – 30
Alex Hodges – 60 (Fantastic!)
Oliver Yang – 70 (Brilliant!)
Siddhant Shetty – 90 (Amazing!)
Armaan Virdee – 100 (Outstanding!)
Lion merits
Jai Kothari – 10
TUTOR QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Each week the pupils decide on a question to ask all the Second Year form tutors. This week’s question comes to us from Siddhant S (2J):
Which fairy tale main character do you most identify with and why?
- Cinderella
- The three little pigs
- Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk
- Little Red Riding Hood
Mr Harrison – Cinderella – I’m definitely clumsy and forgetful enough to lose a shoe at a public event.
Mrs Richardson – Jack – I love travelling and exploring new places. Preferably without the giants though…
Miss Tiller – Little Red Riding Hood as a nod to Character Day last year and I love visiting my Nan!
Mrs Owen – Probably a little pig – I am often reluctant to leave the house!
Miss Winstock – Jack for me – I was given this role in Year 5 for my school’s production of Panto Pandemonium, so I must have some affinity with him!
Mrs Whitwam – Little Red Riding Hood because I love the woods and picnics, and I’d be thrilled to see a wolf.
Danny Driver: Piano Recital
It’s been an exciting week of music at the inaugural Keyboard Festival, with the event culminating in a piano recital this evening. Siddhant S (2J) tells us what we can look forward to:
This Friday 15 March there is a piano recital played by the renowned pianist Danny Driver! Driver is one of the most respected pianists in the UK and is recognised for his sophistication, insight, and musical depth. He started in 2007 by recording a piece for Hyperion Records. Since then, he has released an extensive number of recordings including repertoire by György Ligeti, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Handel, Amy Beach, York Bowen, and Robert Schumann. Danny has twice been nominated for the gramophone award. He was appointed as a professor of piano and contemporary piano.
His programme includes:
· Thomas Adès, Darknesse Visible
· Gabriel Fauré, Nocturne no 6 in D flat
· György Ligeti, Fanfares (Etudes Book 1)
· Scriabin, Sonata no 9 (‘Black Mass’)
· J S Bach, Goldberg Variations.
String Concert
Let’s hear from James N (2H) who reviews the recent String Concert:
Back on 1 February, some 50 strings musicians performed on a variety of instruments from guitar and violin through to viola, cello, double bass and even the harp. The evening started with solo performances with players from the First Year all the way up to the Upper Sixth.
There were a variety of interesting performances, for example, Colin Y, a First Year, played a mesmerising unaccompanied traditional Japanese style piece called Sakura, arranged by Millar. Pierce B, a Second Year, played the only viola piece of the evening, an energetic and confident scherzo by Brahms. Yangzi T, the leader of the Hampton Symphony Orchestra, performed twice, a solo Wieniawski concerto movement on the violin and then the beautiful piece Mountain Stream by Kanga on the harp. I played the first movement from Bach’s violin concerto in A minor and it was such a fantastic experience playing on the Hammond stage, in front of a big audience. I really enjoyed it. As a finale, all of the string players in Hampton, no matter the level of their experience on their instruments, joined together to play The Fiddler’s Hill, by J.Moore. This was such a cool opportunity because we got to play in a huge string orchestra, all making music together. We would like to say a massive thank you to Miss Van Ments and all the other music staff for organising this special evening.
Revolting Rhymes
Joe B (2B) and Shiddant V (2J) give us an insight into the fantastic performances from all of our Second Years as they took to the Hammond Theatre stage to perform some of Roald Dahl’s famous Revolting Rhymes:
On Tuesday night, 2B, 2F, 2H and 2W took to the stage to perform Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Three Little Pigs and Snow White, respectively. However, they were not exactly the same as the ones you may be used to reading or hearing. They had all been changed to be more comedic and darker with an underlying message behind all of them. For example, in 2B’s play Cinderella, the Prince, played by Devam K, chopped off the heads of the two ugly sisters (played by Fred O and Dennis H). In 2F’s play of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack was beaten by his mum for thirty minutes! In 2H’s play, Little Red Riding Hood pulled a pistol from her knickers and shot the wolf. In 2W’s twisted version of Snow White the dwarves were gamblers!
Beforehand, though, we had three rehearsals, the last one being in the Hammond, as well as having some time to eat our packed tea. Although some people began the first rehearsal without knowing their lines very well, the performances all went well. It was a memorable night and the plays were fun to perform and especially to watch. By Joe B (2B)
On Wednesday forms 2J, 2L and 2P performed three different tales from Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, traditional fairy tales with a ‘revolting’ twist. Our form – 2J – were performing Roald Dahl’s take on Cinderella, or as we were performing it ‘Siderella’ (the actor’s name was Sid). For the past term we have been practising the performance adding our own variations on it with Miss Tiller and Miss Richardson. On the night of the performance, we first had a run through of the play. Although there were some minor improvements that needed to be made, it went well. Everyone knew their lines! Later, during the technical rehearsal we saw the enthralling performances of 2L’s Snow White and 2P’s Jack and the Beanstalk. The night was one of fun and laughter from the three comedic performances. To quote Roald Dahl ‘I guess you think you know the story. You don’t .The real one’s much more gory.’ By Shiddant V (2J)
PHYSICS CLUB
Fred O (2B) gives us a flavour of this week’s Physics Club:
On Tuesday, I ventured to Physics Club for the first time thanks to Mr Walsh’s persuasive advertising and the promise of an exciting experiment. We were not disappointed! We were invited to make oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid (a fluid whose viscosity changes when force is applied to it). To make oobleck, we mixed corn starch, water and food colouring; the results were fascinating, but messy. Obviously, when I was stirring, I slipped with the spoon and covered my shirt and tie in blue goo, which left me looking like a Smurf for the rest of the day! Thanks to Mr Walsh for providing a lot of fun and chaos.
My Passion for Origami
James G (2H) tells us about how much he enjoys origami:
I’m writing this because for the last few months, I’ve discovered how much I enjoy folding origami. As I write this, my desk is covered in at least six cranes, a shark, and three (origami!) coffee cups. As a result, I find myself having to clear my desk on a daily basis. And when it comes to the cranes, three of them have five heads… In fact, some of my favourite origami designs are variations on the famous crane. Other personal favourites are the squid (I folded a squid called Bubbles, and it’s essentially become the unofficial mascot for 2H); almost any origami dragons, or even frogs.
Just yesterday, I joined the British Origami Society, (their website is a useful source for origami diagrams) which means that I can read their magazines. They also have meetings in different areas of the country, and I hope to attend one in London if I can! Bye for now, I’m going to try to fold another origami frog.
Take a look at some of James’s creations, why don’t you have a go yourself:
Talk!
Join us next Monday 18 March 1:00 – 1:45pm for the final Talk! of the spring term, to hear from two directors of one of the most iconic shows of all time Doctor Who. Doctor Who is one of the most successful television shows of all time. Daleks, Cybermen, the Tardis, sonic screw drivers and intelligent gloves are part of the lexicon, and the series has millions of fans worldwide. We’re privileged to be joined by two of the show’s Directors: Emmy award-winning Director, Tim Combe, was at the helm in the early years of the famous science fiction series, working in the 1960’s and 70’s with the first three Doctors William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee. Bafta-nominated director Jamie Magnus Stone was lead director for the twelfth and thirteenth series, directing the first ever female Doctor Who, played by Jodie Whittaker. Find out more here.
Creative Writing Competition
Calling all budding authors! The English department have launched their annual Creative Writing competition. The following themes are suggested, however alternatives are acceptable:
- Rebuilding
- Memories
- Hiding
And the genres you can submit are as follows:
- Micro-stories (approx.50 words)
- Prose (max. 1000 words)
- Poetry
- Dramatic monologue
- Scene from a play
To enter, email your entry to Miss Alexander by 4pm on Tuesday 16 April 2024. Get your thinking caps!
SPECIAL SHOUT-OUTS!
Last weekend, Nathaniel O (2B) raced at the English Schools Swimming Association’s (ESSA) 73rd Inter-Divisional Championship. It was an honour for Nathaniel to be invited by the London Division to represent Hampton School at this national event. He joined a team of 20 swimmers from other secondary schools in London who competed against some of the best junior swimmers in the country. After a weekend of racing, Nathaniel took home bronze medals for his 200 meters and 400 meters individual medley races.
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school and to celebrate your successes in the Second Year Blog! Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mrs Whitwam (v.whitwam@hamptonschool.org.uk).
QUIZ OF THE WEEK
Well done to everyone who had a go at last week’s quiz. Merits go to:
2J: Josh B, Siddhant S, Danyal P
2L: Armaan V
2W: Dean B, Laurie L-T
2B: Joe B, Alex G, Ekam R, Devam K, Pierce B, Sebastian W, Dennis H
2H: James G
2P: Oliver Y, Samrith S P
Take a look at this week’s questions – 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.
This week’s brain-busting quiz questions have a Doctor Who theme and come to us from Joe B (2B)! Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers to last week’s questions:
- In which mythical world is Lord of the Rings set? Middle Earth
- Which Agatha Christie novel is set on a famous river? Death on the Nile
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ was written by which British author? Mark Haddon
- ‘Good Omens’, ‘American Gods’ and ‘Coraline’ are all books written by which author? Neil Gaiman
- Who is the protagonist of Holes by Louis Sachar? Stanley Yelnats
