Fingers on Buzzers, Club of the Week & Welcome Ducklings!

Welcome to the First Year Blog!

The Ducklings have landed in the Cloisters: there are nine of them and they are ridiculously sweet! Take a look at our new arrivals in the video below:

The other thrill was the semi-final and final of the Interform Quiz where the Eggheads from 1J were pitted against the Brainiacs from 1F in the final and IF were the victors! Full results and report below.

The boys involved in rehearsals for the Hound of the Baskervilles have been learning their lines and enjoying being part of the adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes murder mystery novel (report below). Some boys also auditioned this Friday for the coolest event on the music calendar, the Battle of the Bands Rock Concert, all in support of this year’s Giving Day. We’re looking forward to some great noise and great moves from the First Year rockers.

Next week it’s heads down for the End-of-Year Assessments. Everyone will be in their Form rooms so it will feel very different. Good news is that we have two sports events, one on Monday (Interform Cricket/ Soft Ball/Tennis) and one on Wednesday (Interform Athletics) so please remember to wear games kit on both days. The other days are school uniform but without the tie and blazer.

Good luck everyone!

Fingers on Buzzers

I was fortunate enough to be the team captain of the 1F team, and we won the competition. Our team is very proud of our achievement. In the quarter-final, we scored a phenomenal 220 points against 1P. We then qualified to the semi-finals, when we were up against 1G. And finally, in the big final, we scored a fantastic 260-95 against 1J. I would like to thank my team comprising of Jerry D, Sebastian D and Philip V. It was one rollercoaster ride with many ups and downs. It was a very challenging quiz! Thank you to all our supporters whose encouraging words kept our team motivated.

By Kamran (1F)

Scores on the doors are as follows:

Cricket galore

On Saturday our A, B, C, D teams played Reed’s School in many exhilarating matches. The D team narrowly lost by 17 runs, the highlights of the match were two incredible catches and many wickets in the first three overs. On the other hand, our C team managed to win by a large margin getting all of Reed’s School’s batsmen out. Another highlight was our B team bowling the opposition all out for only 58 runs and then winning by 71 runs. The A team match concluded a lovely day of cricket with another win by four wickets. Overall, these matches were very enjoyable, and I know many players are looking forward to playing more for Hampton.

By Ishaan J (1W)

Clubs of the week

Basketball

I went to Basketball Club on Tuesday, and it was fun because lots of people were there, which created a friendly atmosphere. There were 15 people there, and we played a game where there were three teams, and one would start with the ball and attack one of the other teams, and if they scored, then they would start from that side and attack the other side, but if the other team got the ball while defending, then it was them that attacked the other team, and vice versa. It was very fun and competitive, with my teammates pushing me to do my best, and I could see that happening all around the court, with people encouraging their teammates to be better. We were going for 30 minutes, and by the end, despite being tired, everyone wanted to keep going.

By Ollie R (1J)

Biology Club Buzz

This week was a particularly exciting and rewarding one for the Biology Club. The school’s beehives have been exceptionally productive this year and, thanks to their hard work and a bit of good weather, we were able to begin harvesting honey earlier than expected. This Wednesday, we successfully extracted around 20 kilograms of fresh, golden honey from the hives, and the best part is: there’s still plenty more where that came from!

Once the full extraction process is complete, we’ll be hosting a honey sale on Friday 23 May in Lab S37 at the start of lunch. It’s the perfect way to wrap up exam week with something sweet, natural, and homemade by our very own bees (and biology enthusiasts). Be sure to stop by and support the club!

By Jonathan G (1P)

CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL

The Championship is renowned for its final day drama with last-minute winners. The final day was Saturday 4 May, and it was described as one of the closest Championship final days there has ever been. At the top, Burnley and Leeds were fighting for top spot, both starting the day on 97 points. Leeds played Plymouth, who were in the relegation zone of the league, and needed to overturn a 13-goal swing to stay up, while also hoping Hull and Luton lost. Burnley played Millwall, one of the five teams challenging for the two play-off spots that were up for grabs. Leeds had a goal difference of +13, so they would practically be guaranteed to win the title if they won, although a loss or draw for Leeds would be enough for Burnley to catch up with a draw and win respectively. Here is the top of the league before the final day.

By Toby S (1P)

Special Shoutout

Henry M (1W) has a place at the English Nationals this summer, meaning he is in the top five in the country for the 200m Individual Medley and 200m freestyle. He won six medals at the South East Regional, winner a Silver and five Bronze medals. This is Henry’s report:

Over two weekends I competed in the SE Regionals. I had 16 auto times but decided to race 8 of those so that I could concentrate on the ones I really wanted to do well in. It was a very hard region to swim in because my times would have been first in other regions but I was against the top boys in my age group in the country so competition was fierce. The fastest five boys in England were able to race in the Nationals for the 200m/400m/800m events. I have managed to get into the Nationals for two events. In August I will go to Sheffield and compete in the English Nationals, I am really excited and happy all my training has paid off.

Tutee of the Week

Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a boy who they have been particularly impressed with and Mr Hill and Mr Fuldner present him with a certificate and a tasty treat to eat!

Congratulations to Ashveer C (1H) on being named this week’s Tutee of the Week.

Ashveer has been a good friend to his classmates and has made a real effort to ensure there is harmony within the form – well done Ashveer!

Artist Anonymous

For Giving Day this year, we are hosting an ‘Anonymous Artist Postcard Sale’ and we would like as many pupils, parents, and staff, as possible to demonstrate their artistic talents. To get involved, you can collect a postcard from either the Art department (F63) or the Alumni office (G3). You then have until Monday 2 June to create and submit your anonymous masterpiece. Members of the Hampton community will be invited to view the art work online (exhibited at School to staff and pupils on Wednesday 2 July) and make a donation to take a masterpiece home. Hidden amongst the masterpieces will be submissions from professional Artists – will you take home a piece created by a current award-winning artist? Or one created by the next Picasso?

Food Bank Collection

Please support our Feltham Food Bank Collection on Friday 23 May. They are particularly in need of tinned meat, tinned tuna, juice, shower gel, honey and washing pods. Please bring your donations to the front of School from 8.15am. Thank you!

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: Hampton’s climbing wall is now in full use with climbing being a sports option for Friday afternoon in the summer term! But where is the climbing wall?

The climbing wall is hidden behind the sports pavilion and cricket nets – well done to those of you who found it!

Well done to Ashveer C, Lucas O’C, Ojas P, Ishaan J, Max O, Rahim K, Edward J, Toby S, Ralph L, James C, Arthur H, Kamran C, Ansh R, Aryan T, Isaac L, Theo R, Edward R, Alexander B, Max K, Arhaan K, Smyan M, Emre K, Timothy M, Sebastian Y, Nico A-G, Hayk F, Sebastian Y, Sebastian G, Harri C, Arjun Jm Felix R, Frankie D, Oliver J, Ethan C, Diego C-G and Juan AVDS.  

This week’s challenge:

most rooms in the school start with the letters F, G or S – but what do the letters stand for?

Have a great weekend!