Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
The Third Year Blog is back, and already two full weeks have disappeared quicker than a sunny break in the British forecast. This edition finds itself reporting on a start that has been busy, energetic, and every bit as unpredictable as the weather, tempting everyone with a hint of warmth before plunging us all back below ten degrees. One moment boys are striding across the cloisters in shirt sleeves, the next they’re regretting not packing a coat and possibly even a woolly hat. Much like the climate, the Third Year Blog is here to keep everyone on their toes, but unlike the weather, it comes with a smile.
The Third Year Blog is pleased to report that all Third Years seem to be relishing their new role higher up on the Year Group league table. Armed with two years of insider knowledge, they are only too happy to point the new First Years towards the right classrooms, usually the right ones, while taking on the tougher academic challenges with a mix of determination and good humour. On the sports field, they are steeling themselves for a season of fierce and fiery fixtures, where energy levels will need to match enthusiasm in abundance. And, as if that weren’t enough, with Open Morning on the horizon tomorrow, the boys are polishing up their patter, keen to show off their ever-expanding knowledge of Hampton life.
This week’s Third Year Blog is delighted to present a vibrant array of news and reflections, from the dynamic world of co-curricular activities and a thoughtful review of the exhilarating Team Building Day, to fascinating insider knowledge from the baseball pitch, the insightful perspective of a chess champion, and, most dramatically, coverage of yet another thrilling interform competition, this time in the form of a dramatic Tug-of-War.
Therefore, with no time to waste and lots of stories to tell, let’s get started.
Head of Year Message
We have every faith that Third Year pupils will do an excellent job showing visitors around the School site during Open Morning on Saturday. A reminder that pupils should arrive looking smart in their school uniform and enter the school via the Lecture Theatre entrance having come through the LEH/Hampton gate (next to the 3G pitch) in time to register by 10:30am. Collection is at approximately 12.30pm. Any parents dropping their child off by car on Open Morning will need to park in the LEH car park. It is important to note that all Third Year pupils are expected to attend Open Morning unless they are playing in a school sports fixture or parents have requested authorised absence in advance. As such, please notify the school via the Parent Portal if your child is absent for medical reasons on Open Morning.
Counsellor visits
To encourage Third Year pupils to think proactively about their own pastoral needs, one of the school counsellors visits each Form Group during an afternoon registration in the early weeks of term. This is a simple introduction to the counselling team and the service they offer in School. It also gives our pupils the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. These visits have been taking place during afternoon registrations over the last two weeks.
Third Year pupils – Please remember to let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you are having any difficulties.
Have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Mr Rigby & Mr Moore
Baseball Brilliance
This week the Third Year Blog was delighted to chat with Wyatt M (3B) who is competing at the Youth National Baseball Championship this weekend and was willing to give us the low down on all things Baseball:
This weekend is the Youth National Baseball Championship for U12 and U14 at Farnham Park, the home of baseball here in the UK. My local team, London Youth Baseball League (LYBL), has two teams in the championship as we are the biggest youth league in the country. During the baseball season (summer, like cricket), LYBL plays in an “super-league” against other youth leagues around the UK from places like Cambridge, Hertfordshire, Wales and other areas in London. The youth leagues are a great way to grow the sport of baseball. Based on those games, LYBL is seeded number one and number three in this tournament. I’m excited to represent LYBL on the top team and think we have an excellent shot at winning the tournament. We’ve had some tough games throughout the season though so it should be a fantastic weekend of baseball.
If you love batting and fielding in cricket or look forward to rounders every summer term, maybe give baseball a try next season. It’s a fast-paced bat and ball game with lots of variation: as a batter, you need to make split second decisions on whether to swing; pitchers choose their pitches carefully; and fielders must know exactly where to throw the ball based on the circumstances of the at-bat. I love the challenge on both sides of the ball. Come on down!
By Wyatt M (3B)
Chess Champions
The Third Year Blog was delighted to hear from Luoke W (3F) this week with a report on the Chess Team’s trip across the pond to represent Hampton School in the World Schools Chess Championships:
Over the summer, we travelled across the Atlantic to Washington D.C., USA, to take part in the prestigious World Schools Chess Championships. The tournament consisted of eight rounds, with four of us playing each time and one sub rotating in. We got off to a strong start, securing a comfortable win against Barbados, followed by an emphatic 4–0 victory over Pakistan. Rounds three and four were tougher, and we slipped to defeats against Sri Lanka and Armenia, but we bounced back with a well-earned draw against Cyprus before finishing strongly with excellent wins against Kyrgyzstan and Switzerland.
The tournament was hugely enjoyable, and after plenty of challenging and exciting games, we were delighted to finish 10th overall—a result we are all proud of.
By Luoke W (3F)
Team Building Review
As part of PSHE this week, the Third Year Forms have been reflecting on the excitement that was last Thursday’s Team Building event. Many discussions were had over the lessons learnt, which activity was most enjoyable and how Hamptonians can apply these new skills in upcoming Interform events. The Third Year Blog thanks Rayan A (3G) for his comprehensive summary of 3G’s reflections.
Our form greatly enjoyed Team Building Day overall, and we all agreed that it was a brilliant experience – one that combined plenty of laughter with the chance to discover new things about ourselves and each other. The activities had clearly been carefully planned to challenge us in different ways, from testing our communication skills and patience to pushing us to think creatively under pressure. It was also a fantastic opportunity to bond as a form and work with people we might not normally partner with in lessons.
If we had to pick a highlight, the majority of us agreed that the Spider’s Web activity was the most memorable. It really brought out the best in our teamwork, as we had to listen carefully, support one another, and think strategically to complete the challenge. Although it was tricky at times, the sense of achievement when we finally managed it was huge, and it proved that determination can go a long way. All that effort paid off too, as our hard work across the day earned us second place overall, which we were delighted with. By the end, we were tired but buzzing with energy, proud of what we had achieved, and grateful for such a fun and rewarding day together.
By Rayan A(3G)
Form Focus
Each week the Third Year Blog will be taking a dive into each of the Forms reflecting on their achievements, adventures and actions. This week we have the pleasure of hearing from Mrs Reilly and 3C!
This week in 3C Form Time, along with all of our other tasks, we have managed to fit in a look at the online resources section of the School portal (found under “extended learning” banner). We looked at:
- Digimaps where you can find out what the map of your home or the School looked like in 1850, 1950 and the present day
- “The Day” which is a fabulous current affairs site. We looked at the “photo of the week” which was an aerial shot of the Nile Delta, and showed the clear difference between areas of desert and farm land
We also challenged ourselves to do a random act of kindness – so hopefully that clears up why perplexed parents found pupils randomly vacuuming, or why they appeared with a welcome snack or hot drink!
On Friday morning we discussed “heirlooms” so pupils might come home asking what heirlooms are in your family, and this afternoon we will discover everyone’s favourite chocolate bar in our question of the week during afternoon registration.
Next week we hope to kick off our “locker league” where we will discover who is the fastest locker unlocker in 3C!
By Mrs Reilly
Interform Tug of War
And finally, the Third Year Blog is delighted to report that the weather held, the sun graced us with its presence for this Friday afternoon long enough for the heavily contested Tug of War competition to take place. The Third Year Tug of War returned this year with all the drama, determination, and rope-burn you could possibly hope for. Each of the nine forms fielded their most competitive teams, marching onto the field with the kind of steely-eyed focus normally reserved for Olympic finals. You could see the dreams written in their eyes: for 3B, it was the desperate hope of keeping their grip on the top spot (and on the rope); for everyone else, it was the chance to wrench victory away and secure bragging rights for the year. The stage was set, the rope was taut, and the tension could only mean one thing: somebody was going down… literally.
After a tightly fought contest, the Third Year Blog is ready to report that the results are as follows:
- 3J
- 3A
- 3G
- 3C
- 3D
- 3B and 3F
- 3H and 3E
With these results this means that the competition for the Williams Cup has well and truly heated up with the overall standings being revealed next week.
Two Truths And A Lie
Last week, as our first liar of the year, we welcomed Dr Gallagher from the Physics Department who made it furiously difficult for us to decide which lie he had concealed within the fabulous options:
- I have performed the jazz classic “On Green Dolphin Street” in the key of Eb live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club
- I am blind in my right eye, due to an unfortunate incident in Ibiza which left me at the wrong end of an arrow
- I am the proud owner of a first edition copy of “The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime” by Stephen Hawking and George Ellis, gifted to me in person by Ellis
The Third Year Blog can reveal that Dr Gallagher has performed the jazz classic “On Green Dolphin Street” in the key of Eb live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. He is also the proud owner of a first edition copy of “The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime” by Stephen Hawking and George Ellis, gifted to him in person by Ellis. Which means that Dr Gallagher is in fact not blind in one eye as a result of an unfortunate incident involved the wrong end of arrow in Ibiza!
This week, we’re joined by none other the Head of English, Mrs Rigby. Mrs Rigby has bravely stepped into the jaws of world of Two Truths and Lie for a second time. Who will be successful on this occasion of deciding the lie hidden among these interesting and intriguing statements:
- Mrs Rigby’s best friend’s husband used to babysit Mr Rigby
- As a Sixth Form pupil, Mrs Rigby was voted the person most likely to marry Prince William
- Mrs Rigby spent a week in Uganda teaching English at a boys’ secondary school
Connection Corner
A big shout out to all the Third Year Hamptonians who had a go at the very first Connection Corner of the year and well done those of you who answered all the questions correctly and guessed the connection as Disney characters! Merits go to Rohan A, Sebastian M, Toby B, Shaurya D, Rishi V, Ethan W, Tim T, Charlie F, Naivedya A, Sujay N, Alexander A, Chen L, Ian L, Yusuf R and Liangxu Z.
Another tricky one this week, see if you can spot the connection:
Which planet was demoted to a “dwarf planet in 2006”? Pluto
What flower often found in fields, is commonly chained together to form garlands? Daisy
Who was elected as the 45th President of the United States? Donald Trump
Which actor played the part of Whiplash in Iron Man 2? Mickey Rourke
Connection: Pluto, Donald, Mickey, Daisy (Disney Characters)
