Swimming Success, Cricket Preview & Happy Easter!

Welcome to the Third Year Blog!

And, just like that, it was Easter.

The School is empty, the corridors quiet.

It may have been a fairly short term with Easter coming so early but, as always, the pupils have managed to pack an awful lot in. This week was no different and we have a wealth of Third Year activities for you to navigate your way through below. We have football, cricket, swimming, a keyboard festival, running for charity and, most remarkably, a visit to the Rwandan High Commission. 

But, it is now time for everyone to take a rest, Third Year blog included.

So, enjoy the break and we look forward to seeing everyone back for the summer term!

Heads of Year Message

Well done to the U14 Rugby Sevens squad for winning all but one of their group matches in the prestigious Rosslyn Park National Rugby Sevens Tournament on Tuesday, narrowly missing out on qualification for the second day.

Thank you all for supporting the Mufti Day today raising funds for Form Charity and to all those who contributed to the Form Charity food bank collection this morning.

We wish safe travels to all Third Year pupils heading off on trips over the Easter holidays. These include the J14 Rowing camp to Hazewinkel and the Adventure Society trip to Snowdonia. We look forward to seeing the photos and reading the reports, and we trust that all the boys will acquit themselves with distinction in all their endeavours.

Spring Term Reports will be available for parents to view via My School Portal from 4.30pm today (Friday 22 March). Form Tutors will conduct Report reviews with their tutees at the start of the summer term.

Summer Exams – Whilst attention will inevitably start to focus on exams week (May 20-24; the week before half term) from the start of the summer term, we do not expect pupils to be revising throughout the Easter holidays. Boys should take the opportunity to consolidate notes and catch-up on any missed work from the spring term. Otherwise, we strongly advocate the need for time to relax and recover from a busy term over the holidays. Form Tutors will provide guidance and support towards planning a revision schedule, and executing effective revision, during Study Skills PSHE lessons early next term. Subject teachers will include revision advice and activities during lessons next term. There will also be a two-week “homework holiday” ahead of exams, during which all boys should aim to complete their revision and exam preparations.

Boys – well done for all your efforts and achievements during this busy term. We hope that you all have a happy, relaxing and restful Easter holiday. We look forward to seeing you refreshed and ready to go again on Tuesday 16 April for the start of the summer term.

Best wishes

Mr T Rigby & Mrs M Bedford

Rwanda Club – Sophie’s story

The Rwanda Club started from the follow-up of the events of 1994 in Rwanda – the Genocide against the Tutsi. This was a group of people in Rwanda who were discriminated against, targeted and murdered for who they were. Sophie was one of these people, aspiring to be a doctor and also a passionate singer. However, many of her brothers and sisters, as well as her father, didn’t make it through the Genocide. Sophie miraculously survived.

The Rwanda group was dedicated to helping Sophie finally tell her story to the world, creating (as we understand it) the first book from one of the survivors. We helped Sophie edit and publish the book titled ‘Singsongs in Rwanda’ which is also available in the library in Hampton. For anyone interested in reading it, you can find it here.

We had much help from teachers such as Dr Flanagan, Mrs Partridge, Miss Bellingan and Mr Knibbs. And of course we can’t forget Mr Lawrence, who reached out to Sophie and spent a large amount of his own time on this project.

We went to the Rwandan High Commission where we were introduced to his Excellency, the High Commissioner, as well as others including Sophie’s family. All of those in the Rwanda group got up and presented themselves and talked about why they thought the project was important. We finally presented the published book and it is now available to the public. We hope that Sophie’s story will inspire others to have their voices heard, and also for many to hear the story of the Genocide and why we can’t let this happen ever again.

By Rahul K (3A)

Richmond Borough Schools’ Swimming Championships

On 15 March at LEH, some of the Third Year pupils took part in the Richmond Borough Schools’ Swimming Championships.

Not only did they take part, but they won, with Brennan C winning the 50m butterfly and the team (Brennan C, Euan S, Luke C and Jatin C) winning the 4x25m freestyle relay. It wasn’t just the Third Years involved, though and Mr Mills reported that ‘the boys worked really well together as a team. On top of our wins, we managed to get many important second places in races which secured a higher points tally. As a result we won the overall (Year 7-10) boys competition.’

An outstanding effort which the Third Year boys were a massive part of – well done!

U14A Football season review

It has been a season of great cup runs, lots of highs and a couple of lows. We started quite slowly drawing 2-2 with Glynn however once we had come together as a team, we began our impressive run of wins ending the season on a 10-1 win against Reading Blue Coat School. Reaching the semi-final of the County Cup has to be one of the most memorable moments of the season, however we were unlucky to miss out on the final. Despite this, we will remember how hard we fought to end, and hope to win some silverware next year!

By George E (3E)

U14A Cricket Preview

The start of the cricket season always brings with it a sense of anticipation and invigoration. Especially when you first see the freshly-mown outfield and the impeccable squares! 

With this sense of invigoration comes high hopes for the upcoming fixtures and the potential cup run, and with Third Year joiners strengthening the team, the belief that we can do better than last year is increased. Along with new teammates, we will also face new opponents in the form of Harrow and Brighton College. Both have exceptionally talented cricketers and will prove a test for us. However, the highlight for many players this season will be the cup where a defeat is fatal and nerves and tension always occur.

In previous years we would emerge victorious from many of our cup games but falter at the final hurdle. However, every player has improved technically and mentally since then and we are confident that we have the ability to go all the way. Another sign of encouragement is the improvement we have made from season to season. For example, after losing to Reed’s in First Year, we won a close fought encounter last year. Another example would be when our bowlers bowled incredibly well and restricted Whitgift, who were playing in the national finals that week, to less than 110.

Hopefully, we can carry this momentum forward after the Easter holidays and have a successful season.

By Sanjit B (3C)

Keyboard Festival – Danny Driver performance

On the 15 March, Danny Driver, a renowned professional pianist, came to Hampton. He delivered a masterclass to a few Hampton pupils, but in the evening, he also delivered an amazing piano recital in the Hammond Theatre.

The recital started with an opening speech from Danny Driver; he gave an overview of the pieces he was about to play in the first half. Then, he played his first piece, Darknesse Visible, by Thomas Adès, containing lots of repeated notes, which Danny played with speed while still maintaining clarity. His second piece, Nocturne No. 6 in D flat, by Gabriel Fauré, was very calming, yet with lots of variation in dynamics, which was not out of place in the Romantic period. The third piece that night, Etude No. 4 Fanfares by György Ligeti has an endless motif that is constantly changing octaves, along with chords so dissonant that it was amusing. Danny made the piece look like improvisation, especially with the seemingly random chords. The final piece before the interval was Sonata No. 9 ‘Black Mass’, by Alexander Schriabin; this piece has differing characters throughout the entire length, but Danny Driver breezed through them.

After the interval, Danny introduced Bach’s Goldberg Variations; he proceeded to play its Aria, all 30 variations, and the Aria another time (Aria da capo). The use of the pedal was a welcome addition, despite these variations being from the Baroque Period. The variations were not as contrasting to each other as the ‘Black Mass Sonata’ was, but they were still quite different to each other. Overall, my favourite piece was the ‘Fanfares’ Etude, as the dissonance was amusing to me. This recital really was an incredible end to the Keyboard Festival; many thanks to Danny Driver for performing to us, and also Mr Roland for organising the Keyboard Festival.

By Nileeth G (3B)

Charity Running Challenge

Alex M (3E) and Ryan W (3B) are both taking part in a running challenge this month in aid of Cancer Research. They are running two miles every day in March, which is an outstanding effort! Run well Alex and Ryan!

Two truths and a lie

Last week, Mr Green was our erring Form teacher, undermining his moral authority with a dirty lie. Below were his outlandish claims.

• Mr Green has six toes on his left foot
• Mr Green has two cats: one is named after a Brazilian footballer and the other is named after a chocolate bar
• Mr Green’s head was once attacked by a swarm of amazonian hornets when he unwisely disturbed them by using a toilet

Well, it turns out that Mr Green does indeed have two cats – one is called Chomp (a chocolate bar); one is called Zico (a Brazilian footballer). What this suggests is that, fundamentally, Mr Green’s judgement is often flawed. Another error of judgement was to once use a toilet in the Bolivian jungle that had a cistern covered with amazonian hornets; a move that prompted them to attack his head. What this means is that Mr Green does not have six toes on his left foot (or his right foot, for that matter).

This week’s liar is Mr Highton. His offerings are below. Which is the lie?

• Mr Highton once climbed Table Mountain in South African barefoot
• Mr Highton owns a painting by Bruegel the Elder that has been valued as being worth £500,000
• Mr Highton once dislocated his shoulder by trying to stop a moving car

LION PRINT COMPETITION

Looking for something to keep you busy over Easter?

Do you enjoy writing?
Are you a budding creative writer?
Do you currently have a draft in the works?

Submit your writing as part of Hampton School’s Creative Writing Competition. This competition is open to all year groups, new writers and wise wordsmiths. Top Entries will receive Merits. Winner and Runner Up with receive a Book Voucher!

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 in the English Department by 4pm on Tuesday 16 April 2024. Get your thinking caps!

CONNECTION CORNER

Well done to the everyone who had a go at last week’s Connection Corner. Merits go to all those who correctly guessed that the answers were previous British Prime Ministers. Big shout out to Rory M, Kiran G, Darshan S, Krishang T, Olly P, Bailey HC and Ollie N.

In case you’re still perplexed, here are the answers from the last week’s conundrum:

HAVE A GREAT EASTER HOLIDAYS!