Welcome to the Third Year Blog!
When the Third Year Blog was 14, if you’d asked it what a magnolia tree was, it would have looked at you blankly before running off to the nearest field to kick balls through goals marked out by jumpers. Now, however, the point at which the magnolia trees start to bloom is the sign that we are very nearly at the summer. They are particularly beautiful trees for about three weeks and, for the rest of the year, you would have no idea what they are capable of. If you’re interested, take the time to investigate what they look like and suddenly you’ll realise they are everywhere in our part of South West London. They are outstanding.
Their blooming this year has been accompanied by some beautiful weather, with only the briefest punctuation of rain. Normally at this time of year, it feels as if just at the point where you think you can put your coat in the cupboard for the winter, the rain and wind comes pulling back in.
Of course, moments when the weather is bad, are the moment where the boys of Hampton have to spend more time than might be ideal in their form rooms and the corridors of the School. In Italy, there is a tradition called the passeggiata wherein the people of a village or town will spend an enjoyable evening slowly strolling through the streets of their home, socialising, chatting and generally enjoying each other’s company. You could argue that Hampton on a rainy day is the polar opposite of this Mediterranean ideal. There is something about this that also seems to shorten the time period required for the shirt of a Hamptonian to become untucked.
Scientific studies have shown* that while it takes an average of 4.24 seconds for a shirt to become untucked during September in the School, on a wet day in March that average reduces to a remarkable 0.34 seconds. Of course, while your teachers will remain vigilant, it is also important for Hamptonians themselves to ensure that they are walking around the corridors looking like smart young men ready for work, as opposed to sweaty young men, careening off the 3G, hoping that they have left enough time to get to afternoon registration. A word to the wise: even if you are a sweaty young man, careening off the 3G, slightly flustered about your potential lateness, if you remember to ensure your shirt is tucked in as you speed walk down the corridor, you are much less likely to draw attention to yourself…
Of course, looked at positively, the abundance of energy that the behaviours described above are reflective of is a wonderful thing. Lucky for Hamptonians that there is so much on offer to try to sate that enthusiasm! As ever, the Third Year Blog is here to capture all the energy being offered. This week we have a report from a Football tournament, a view from the STEM fair, some Chess dominance and an attempt to capture the wondrousness of being able to star in a musical.
So, an awful lot is going on, as is always the case. While the energy needed to engage with everything Hampton life has to offer is particularly evident at this time of year, some of the Third Year community will be looking to conserve their energy a little more during the course of March and in to April. Ramadan Mubarak to all those members of the Third Year and their families who are fasting!
*There have been no studies and, if there were, they would not have been scientific. However, the Third Year Blog stands by this observation, unproven though it is. Having said that, if you see a member of staff sitting in reception, staring intently at pupils shirts while holding a stopwatch and a clipboard, you will know that this has become a data point the School is keen to monitor.
Heads of Year Message
We hope that everyone enjoyed their No Limits lessons on Tuesday. No Limits challenges teachers to do something ‘a bit different’ with their lessons on that day. This could include going off-syllabus, innovative use (or no use) of technology, no writing, or trying out a new lesson activity. Judging by the cheers and laughter heard around School on Tuesday, it was largely appreciated!
We thoroughly enjoyed the Interform Chess Competition on Thursday lunchtime this week. Thank you to Miss Alexander for organising the event, to Mr Barnes for his refereeing acumen, and to the Third Year Mentors for their assistance in running the event. There was a great atmosphere (of intense concentration) throughout. Well done to 3B for their overall victory!
The History Battlefields Trip departs in two weeks’ time. This is a fantastic educational opportunity for all the Third Year pupils involved. We expect and trust that all boys going on that trip will show the respectful behaviour required, show interest, and keep up the pace throughout the physically and emotionally demanding trip.
In a similar vein, we were really pleased with the way Third Year pupils participated sensitively and maturely in the Relationships & Sex Education mornings this week (3A-3E on Monday and 3F-3J on Thursday). The final instalment of the Third Year Relationships & Sex Education course takes place on Thursday next week – boys have been sent an email with a link to submit any questions they have anonymously in advance for this session.
Vaccinations
The Richmond Immunisation Team will attend school on Tuesday 25 March to administer DTP teenage booster, MenACWY, and MMR (for anyone who has not already had two doses) vaccinations. The nursing team wrote to Third Year parents on Monday 3 March to share the letter containing the link to the parental consent form. The deadline for completing the consent form is Friday 21 March. Please contact the School Nurses if you have any questions about the vaccinations: Nurse@hamptonschool.org.uk.
Co-Curricular
We encourage all boys to keep up their attendance at lunchtime co-curricular clubs and activities through to the end of term. A reminder of what is available can be found here.
Absences
If your son will be absent from School for any reason, please complete the absence reporting form, which can be found on My School Portal on every morning of your son’s absence. For absences other than illness e.g. if a pupil has a dental or medical appointment during School hours, notice of this should be given in advance. For planned absences, please contact Heads of Year requesting the absence with as much notice as possible.
Boys – Please let us, your Form Tutors or the relevant subject teachers know if you have any difficulties. Have a lovely weekend.
Best wishes
Mr T Rigby & Mr H Moore
U14A Football Update
On Wednesday 12 March the Hampton under 14A team went to an invitational tournament at the Arsenal FC academy. When we first arrived, we were allocated a specific changing room which we were allowed to be in during the day. We were provided with lots of refreshments by the staff, my personal favourite being the flapjacks. Along with us at this special occasion, were five other schools including Bradfield and Dulwich. In our first game, we played against Bede’s School and after 20 minutes of trying to get a winning goal, the game ended 0-0.
In our second game, we played against Dulwich. We were feeling ready for this game after having a 30-minute break watching the other games. After about 10 minutes, we had a few chances on goal, and we eventually managed to get our first goal with Isaac scoring a beautiful half volley. After this first goal we were all feeling energised and after another few minutes, after a scramble in the box, Isaac put the ball in the net for his second goal of the match. Then, we kept possession to secure our first win in the tournament.
However, from then on, it went downhill with us losing 1-0 to Aldenham just before the lunch break. Post-lunch, we had two more games still to play, unfortunately losing them both, firstly to Royal Russell 2-1, and then later losing to Bradfield 1-0, with them securing the trophy. Although it was a valiant effort, we didn’t quite manage to win the cup, much like our hosts, Arsenal. While we did not manage to take home any silverware, we took home a good experience and a good amount of flapjacks.
By Leo L (3B)
STEM Fair
On Tuesday, we had the STEM Fair, which was held at LEH, involving many groups of students from both schools, creating a project to do with STEM. It was an exceptional experience to see the science and technology people had made, from using AI in drugs to building a plane. Our project was on Chirality, which is when a molecule has a mirror image of itself. For example, Spearmint and Dill are mirror images of each other yet smell and are different. We created models and a video, explaining and showing an experiment we conducted, creating our own polarimeter. The event highlighted the creativity the many groups had and overall was a remarkable experience to witness the various applications of STEM.
By Devam K (3E)
Bugsy Malone
Before half term some of you were lucky enough to see the Lower School Musical – Bugsy Malone. By all accounts it was an absolute triumph, as the accompanying pictures demonstrate, but what was it like to perform in? We have three viewpoints below…
Just before half term, we had the junior musical Bugsy Malone with Waldegrave School. I was lucky enough to be Snake Eyes in Fat Sam’s gang and had so much fun dancing around, getting soaked in water and covered in splurge. None of this would have been possible without the amazing costumes, props, band, lighting, stage and direction.
If you haven’t done any musicals before and don’t really want to sing, still give it a shot because it’s just such a cool experience and we’re so lucky have something like that available.
By Willoughby E (3J)
After months of preparation, countless rehearsals and hours upon hours of planning, the Bugsy Malone performance night finally arrived.
As it was my first musical, I was really looking forward to the performance and everything went as planned. After incredible solo and cast songs, amazing acting and lots and lots of shaving cream being sprayed chaotically around the Hammond, we all acted, danced and sung our hearts out to a combined audience of over 1,000 people including 300 primary school children.
It was a brilliant experience and I want to thank everyone in the cast and crew, Mrs Jones, Mr Ferrier and countless others all who were vital for the play’s success.
By Isaac De Q (3B)
In Bugsy Malone, I played Seymour Scoop, the reporter. I loved the whole experience of being in the play, but there’s no doubt that my favourite part was seeing all my family in the crowd on the final show night, because it was a moment that made me so happy.
By Oscar S (3H)
Chess
Last Friday 7 March, we went to RGS to play their A team in chess. We left at four and arrived one and a half hours later, travelling in the school minibus. After arriving at RGS, we entered the premises of the school. We tossed the coin and we won the toss. We chose white on odds.
I was playing against Ronit S. I played the scotch game against him and slowly ground the position out, which then soon converted to a win. Overall, we won 4 1/2 – 1 1/2.
This match helped us reach top of the table for the Brian Poulter league. But KCS are close who are only two points behind us having played only seven matches whilst us playing eight. It is all to play for!
By Jai K (3G)
Football Galore
At Hampton, right now in football on our Sports afternoon, all the teams are taking part in two different leagues. One involves players from the A team to the C team, and the other league involves players from the D team and below. The tournaments will go on for the rest of the term and there will be a final in the last week of term. Every week you play a match and whichever team loses will play against another team which lost and the team which won will go against another team that won.
On the first week, the D and below team league were playing on mini sized pitches all spread out on the 3G, on the second week all the matches were on pitches around half the size of the 3G. This change caused many teams to do better this week than they did last week, while some did worse (like my team). On the first week, we were in an intense game on the mini pitches. We played well, with goals from Sam D, Devan, Arshan M, Eashan and me, but everyone in the team contributed well. As it turned out, the other team also played pretty well, leading to a 6-6 draw, with their goals being scored by Yevin S, Samuel B and Willoughby E.
Unfortunately, the next week wasn’t so good for us… We played them again and the score was 11-4. Not a good week for us! Another week, another match and our team are hoping that we get to the final. We will see everyone in the league very soon!
By Casper G (3G)
Interform Chess
This week saw the Interform Chess competition. It was a tightly contested affair and was played in an excellent spirit, with Miss Alexander drawing particular attention to the outstanding attitude and enthusiasm of Mattie R and Oskar P (3F) and the help she was given by Oscar FO (3B) in terms of setting up the boards and ensuring the rules were being adhered to.
The results are below…
1st – 3B – 9pts
2nd – 3D – 8pts
3rd – 3J – 7pts
4th – 3A – 6pts
Joint 5th – 3C, 3E, 3H, 3G – 5pts
9th – 3F – 1pt
What does this mean for the overall Williams Cup table??
Here are the latest standings – there is still much to play for!
1st – 3B – 54
2nd – 3D – 53
3rd – 3A – 50
4th – 3F – 45
5th – 3C – 38
6th – 3J – 37
7th – 3E – 35
8th – 3H – 33
9th – 3G – 24
Talk!
Hot on the heels of a fascinating talk with Gold medal Olympian and Hampton History teacher Mr Cross, we welcome Lauren Crawley-Moore. Lauren leads the London Stock Exchange’s Primary Markets activity in London and the South of the UK, covering both the Exchange’s growth market, AIM (the Alternative Investment Market) and the Main Market. Lauren will offer a unique introduction to the London Stock Exchange, a critical institution in global finance.
There’s no need for Hamptonians to book, just come along to the Hammond Theatre on Thursday 18 March at 1pm. Find out more here.
Two truths and a lie
Last week, we had Assistant Head of Third Year, Miss Alexander, as our resident liar. Despite her role as a pillar of virtue within the School, she was willing to lie for our entertainment.
Here are her claims…
- Miss Alexander once hugged a shark
- Miss Alexander once had her arm broken by a swan
- Miss Alexander has never been to Nando’s
If you know Miss Alexander, then you would know one thing – she LOVES sharks. So, her hugging one is entirely likely. While this ludicrous fact is true, it seems utterly implausible that she would never have been to Nando’s. And yet it is true. Which means that she did not have her arm broken by a swan. Which is also understandable as, while in the 90s the idea that a swan could break your arm was widely accepted, it is actually not really true at all. Unless, of course, you are faced with an unfeasibly large swan or your arms are particularly susceptible to being broken.
This week we have Third Year royalty on hand to lie for us. Yes. It is Mr Rigby. Below are his claims…
- Mr Rigby once featured in a BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel ‘Persuasion’. His role was to fall out of a tree and ‘have his brow mopped’
- Mr Rigby represented Durham University at Ultimate Frisbee
- Mr Rigby sets the thermostat in the Third Year Head of Year Office so that it is one degree centigrade higher than the temperature in the rest of the school
Which is the lie? Find out next week!
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 all fish! Big shout out to Josh L, Huw C, Matthew L, Liam C, Oscar S, Ishaan M, Vayun J, James G, Oliver Y, Daniel S, Gordon L, Joe B and Seb W.
Another tricky one this week, have a go over the weekend and see if you can spot the connection:
In case you’re still perplexed, here are the answers from the last week’s conundrum:
What is the name of the children’s entertainer who always looks sad? Clown
What food do you often eat with ice cream at children’s parties? Jelly
What type of animal is Crookshanks in the Harry Potter films? Cat
Which precious metal did thieves steal in the infamous Brink’s Mat robbery? Gold
Connection: Can all be followed by fish (Clown, Jelly, Cat, Gold)
