Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
As we approach the final week of term, Hampton is practically glowing with tinsel-powered energy! The Solace Shoebox Appeal burst into action on Tuesday – the perfect excuse to channel your inner elf. Wrap those boxes, pack in the goodies, and help make Christmas brighter for children who could use a little extra magic. The deadline is Wednesday, so don’t let your gift be the one that got away!
This week also brought a Talk! that was anything but ordinary: historian Helen Castor whisked us off to the Tudor court for Elizabeth I: History and Hindsight. Think intrigue, power, and a queen who knew how to work a ruff. It was a fascinating reminder that hindsight isn’t just 20/20 – it can rewrite history.
However, don’t think that just because the holidays are approaching, we’re slowing down. The festive fun cranks up another notch next week with the Carol Service at St Mary’s Church on Tuesday – time to unleash your inner Mariah Carey – followed by the legendary Christmas Lunch on Thursday. Yes, pigs in blankets are back, and paper crowns are mandatory!
And just when you thought it couldn’t get better, Wednesday will be serving up Interform Badminton and Table Tennis. Prepare for epic rallies, questionable victory dances, and the occasional rogue shuttlecock.
With only one week to go, let’s deck the halls with effort and wrap up 2025 in true Hampton style. Yule be amazing if you keep those snow-perfect manners shining bright and don’t bauble your chances by forgetting the little things – like saying a big thank you to the teachers and support staff who’ve made this term so tree-mendous! A sprinkle of gratitude, a dash of cheer, and we’ll be sure to finish the year with all the trimmings. After all, nothing says Hampton spirit like ending on a high note – and maybe a mince pie or two!
Merit Milestones
Another fantastic week for merits, big shout out to the following Second Year Hamptonians:
Tom Coyle – 10
Aryan Tewatia – 10
Zac Johnson – 10
Zac Johnson – 20
Faaris Malik-Casey – 20
Armaan Karthik – 20
Hugh Horrocks – 20
Max Drury – 20
Milo Batra – 20
Zac Johnson – 30
Armaan Karthik – 30
Isaac Li – 40
Edward Robinson – 40
Joshan Kalsi – 40
Arthur Hanna – 40
Lucas Farnsworth – 60 (Fantastic!)
Sebastian Young – 80 (Superb!)
Tutor Question Time!
Each week we like to poll the Second Year tutors on a different hot topic. This week’s question comes from Raff O’C-Z (2W):
What food/dish would you choose if that is all you could eat for the rest of your life? (No varieties of things allowed e.g.: pizza because you would have different types it would need to be just one type).
2B: Pav bhaji
2H: Steak and chips
2L: Burrito
Mrs Owen: Porridge
Miss Tiller: Jacket potato
Mr Hill: Margherita pizza
Have you ever had a burning question you’ve always wanted to ask your Form Tutors?! If so, then please send your suggestions for a future Tutor Question Time to e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk.
From PE to Presents: A Winter Wrap-Up
As the Christmas break approaches, the excitement in the air at Hampton is palpable. What has become very clear to me is how much effort goes into building up the festive spirit here at Hampton: three ginormous Christmas trees towering over everything else, festive events like Secret Santa, and the excitement of Christmas filling the corridors.
Harris is still holding out hope that he will get his spot on the Christmas list – he knows he deserves it! We get to see him every week at Dog Club, which is undoubtedly the best club in the whole School. He recently starred in a Christmas video, which quite a few of my fellow pupils got to take part in. Sadly, I could not make the video due to rugby practice, but I am sure that it was great fun.
For the past few weeks in PE, we have been playing handball, a new game of skill and speed. I am certainly not the best at these sessions, but they have been extremely fun, and I will be very sad to see them finish at the end of term. With the way the calendar falls, my group could have lost our final session on the last Friday of School due to the half day, so our PE coach moved the match day forward to this week instead – lucky for us!
Overall, this term has been a great start to the Second Year. I know for a fact that next term will be just as good. Although I cannot wait for the Christmas break, I know it is not just me who will miss the Hampton way of life and will be looking forward to coming back in January.
By Dara S (2F)
Keys to Success: Hampton Hits the High Notes
On the morning of Sunday 30 November, I was getting ready to perform at the Kingston Music Festival with the Clarinet Ensemble. We also played in the Woodwind Concert and performed the same pieces. The Hampton String Quartet and the Hampton Wind Quintet were also there too.
The Clarinet Ensemble performed first, and we played Bagatelle and Grandfather’s Clock. I think that our performance went quite well as we were all in time with each other. As our performance ended, I sat down to listen to the other performers. I felt a bit nervous as the other performers played their pieces and I wondered if we could beat them.
When all the performances had finished, the adjudicator began to announce the rankings. There was only a first and second place in our category and there were four performances. The adjudicator gave the second place award to the Hampton String Ensemble and shortly after he gave the first place award to the Clarinet Ensemble. I was so happy to know that we came first place!
I had lots of fun performing at the Kingston Music Festival and hopefully I can perform a solo next time.
By James C (2H)
Smash Hit! A Tournament Triumph
On the weekend, I was delirious with joy at the prospect of participating in my first tournament – a table tennis tournament for Middlesex and the surrounding areas. This was something that I had been yearning for years. So, on Saturday morning, I dashed to the table tennis club where I usually practise and finally set off to the venue, set in the bustling heart of Guildford, with my teammates – and an epic showdown started. The crowd buzzed with anticipation as the rallies began. The fluorescent light shone from above as I stepped into the spotlight. Every bounce of the ball echoed like a heartbeat – steady, sharp and dangerous to miss. One distraction and a glorious opportunity would be lost for good. Across my table was my opponent, his eyes fiercely focused on the ball, his racket poised and ready to strike.
As I served, the ball sliced through the air and spun across the table, rotating madly. A quick return came flying back, but my instinct and determination took over. BAM! The topspin kissed the edge of the table, leaving the opponent to do nothing but turn his head towards his team, desperate for advice. Each rally that followed felt like a tarantella, each ball insanely fast and some that could make you do the splits. Many points I was on my feet and my behind-the-back slices were all I could do to prevent the ball going into the net. Four games of incredible, overwhelming tension. My team jumped up and down when I won the penultimate point. This was now or never. 10-5 read the score. Five match points. Five opportunities to prove myself. The dance of flicking and firing the ball stirred up one last time. Victory was on my tongue. Victory was not about the score – it was about the hours of practice, the shouts, the anxiety and the perseverance.
The opponent spun the ball high into the air, which I responded to with a smash. The opponent, like me, was not going to back down. With another retaliatory smash, he pushed past me. 10-6. An opportunity was wasted, but my morale was high. The serve was tossed high into the air and slapped across the table. With a weak return up high, there was only one thing to do: win. YES! With the final blow of the racket, victory was mine. I had done justice and had made history. My team and I rejoiced as we exited the venue five hours later and were as fervent as me about the next table tennis tournament in January. What an experience I had and what a memory to be treasured. And then I savoured the thought once again: I HAD WON!
By Reyansh K (2L)
Goals Galore
On Monday in round 3 of ESFA, the Hampton U13B team played against Trinity School. Hampton dominated in the first half, keeping possession of the ball and making good runs into Trinity’s half, with Daniel F scoring an excellent goal. Trinity School played well but were unable to get many shots on target or break through the line of defence.
In the second half, Hampton scored an extra two goals, with Seb D and Filippos M both scoring amazing goals. Despite the two goals, Trinity played with more intensity, making good runs down the wing but shortly being stopped by the defenders. Overall, it was a good game and a great win for Hampton, allowing them to move into the next round of ESFA.
By Theo R (2H)
Last Saturday, we played Whitgift School’s U13C team in a football match. The game was tight, with both sides playing to their strengths. In the first half, we earned a penalty and scored it, making the score 1-0 at half-time.
In the second half, we controlled much of the possession and pressured the opposition. Eventually, our efforts were rewarded with two goals coming from open play. When the final whistle blew, the score ended at a positive 3-0 win in our favour.
By Joshan K (2P)
Miles of Determination and a Dash of Speed
A couple of weeks ago, we had our Richmond Borough Schools’ Cross Country Cup. The main objective of this event was to finish in the top seven in your age group. If you succeeded, then you would get to represent the borough in the Middlesex Cross Country Cup. This was quite unlikely for me due to the age groups of this event, as Second Year and Third Year pupils were all in one race. This made it a decent challenge for me, along with three others in the Second Year, including Noah L, Filippos M and Ethan C. Nevertheless, we were ready to give it our best.
Fortunately for me and our team, the race was mostly on road, meaning not much grass was involved. The course was 3.3km, so I was aiming to run under 12 minutes. We had a short warm-up before heading to the start line for our race. There were around 100 runners, as the age groups were mixed, meaning it would be a lot more hectic at the start, and I would have been happy finishing in the top half to a quarter.
We were forced to line up in one line per team, barely squeezing every team into the start line, but my team allowed me to go at the front, which would mitigate the chaos at the start. As the start gun fired, many people, including me, sprinted ahead, fighting for positions. I found myself in about 15th to 20th place. I was feeling pretty good around 800m to 1km into the race, so I started to increase the pace and overtake a few runners.
However, we reached a left turn which then led to an extremely long straight path, and that is where I found out that overtaking some runners started to backfire. At this point, I was in the top 15 but then got overtaken on the straight, including by my teammate Reuben N in Third Year, who had an excellent race. Nonetheless, I pushed on, taking one more left turn downhill, which pushed my pace up and allowed me to gain a few positions before going into the home stretch. I was drained at this point, but I gave it a strong last burst and finished in a decent 20th position.
I was very pleased with the performance considering the stacked field full of great runners. After an injury only a month or two ago, my teammate in the same year as me, Noah L, also had a great comeback race, finishing only five positions behind me, whilst our Third Year teammate Reuben finished around five places ahead of me. I had not realised at the time, but I had run freakishly fast with a time of around 10:40, which was not what I was expecting.
Next year, I hope that I can definitely qualify in that top seven, as it will be the same race, but overall it was a success as the team finished in fourth place. As there were not many Third Year runners, the Second Years had to step in, but I think next year we will have a very strong team to possibly win the event.
By Kaarthikan M (2B)
CAD-tastic Creations
After going to Design Engineering Drop-In during No Limits Week and enjoying looking at the fascinating creations of others, I decided to go again, this time with the intent to model something. Having already some knowledge of CAD in Onshape, I got to modelling something I had a dire need of – a USB stick holder!
Although adapting to using SolidWorks was slightly difficult, I managed to create and 3D print my model in the same lunchtime, courtesy of a helpful and knowledgeable pupil (of which there were many!) who showed me how to set the printer up. So, if you ever need help to bring a model or idea to life, look no further than DE Drop-In!
By Alec H (2B)
Checkmate Challenges
If you want to challenge your friends to a game of chess, this is the club for you! Every Thursday in Room S11, at any time during lunch, pupils can go and challenge their friends to a round of chess. Not just your friends – you can meet new people and play against other pupils.
Whether it is just a game for fun or if you are doing a competition, you can play at any level at any time during lunch. Playing against other people is super fun, and the new friendships that are created are amazing. This club is arguably one of the best clubs on Thursday.
If you are really good, then you might even make it into the chess team for your year group. I highly recommend this club – and bring some friends along! Sometimes the teacher sets mind-boggling puzzles for you to crack. If you are up for the challenge, then come along.
By Poyraz D (2J)
Get Ready to Rally: Interform Table Tennis and Badminton Next Week!
I am one of the Interform reps for 2J, and next Wednesday the Interform Badminton and Table Tennis competition is taking place. Our form is very competitive when it comes to Interform events, so it did not come as a surprise to me when the whole class wanted to compete to try and take home the victory. Because I am the representative, it was my job to decide the teams, which proved very difficult as people were trying to convince me to pick them all the time. As I did not want to disappoint anyone, I tried making it as random as possible by picking names out of a hat. These are the teams I came up with:
A team: Natty and Rohan
B team: Agastya and Arhaan
Our form has a good reputation in Interform, placing second overall in the First Year. However, we have not yet placed first in a single event, usually coming second, third and sometimes last. Last year, we did especially well in the Tug of War, Chess and even the School Quiz (in which I participated, and it was a fun experience).
Now, with lots of events to come in the Second Year, I hope we will come out on top and maybe even win one of these two!
By Arthur B (2J)
Terrific Tempest
Our amazing First and Second Year thespians didn’t just perform Shakespeare’s The Tempest — they blew us away! From magical storms to unforgettable characters, the production had it all. Missed it? Or just want to relive the drama? Hit play on the video below and dive back into the magic!
Pet of the Week
Pet of the Week is back! Every week we are meeting one of Second Year’s furry (or scaly!) friends. This week’s pet of the week is Kookie. Here is why Thomas L (2G) thinks he deserves to be Pet of the Week:
I love my pet very much. He is a Yorkshire Terrier called Kookie and loves food. He is very small and just turned four very recently. Yorkshire Terriers his age are supposed to have silvery-white fur, but he has been the same since we first got him. He has mainly black fur, with brown fur around his feet and on his ears. He also has light brown fur on his belly and tail.
He never bites anyone and is normally a kind dog, but he can get very loud and barky sometimes (especially if there is food around!). We take him almost everywhere with us and he loves coming. Aimlessly running around is one of his favourite things, behind things like food.
We have tried training him many times, but he does not like listening that much. Luckily, we have him under control (most of the time). We discovered that he does not really come to us when we say “come”, but if we say “sausages” he will start sprinting over.
While he has his flaws, I love him dearly and love seeing him after School. He is very comforting. Did I mention he loves food?
Would you like to see your pet featured? Email e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk with a picture of your pet, along with their name, age and why you think they deserve to be featured. I cannot wait to meet them!
SOLACE SHOEBOX APPEAL
The 2025 Shoebox Appeal is now live! This Christmas, Form Charity is organising a Shoebox Appeal in aid of Solace Women’s Aid. Solace is a leading specialist charity in the UK supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse. The lifesaving support that Solace provides to over 20,000 women, children and young people each year is so important.
Each pupil is asked to donate one item for their Form’s shoebox. Forms in the First to Fifth Year will be putting together shoeboxes for younger children. The items that Solace have suggested for the shoeboxes are as follows:
- Educational games
- Hair accessories (in particular products for Afro-textured hair)
- Sports equipment (e.g. balls)
- Puzzles
- Small Lego or building block sets
- Arts and craft sets
- Books, Stickers and stationary
- Soft toys/dolls
What are you waiting for, let’s get filling those shoeboxes!
Food Bank Collection
Please support our Feltham Food Bank Collection on Friday 12 December. They are particularly in need of tinned meat, coffee, washing pods and biscuits Please bring your donations to the front of School from 8.15am. Thank you!
QUIZ OF THE WEEK
Welcome to the Quiz of the Week! Every week, we’ll post five general knowledge questions. 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.
Why don’t you have a go at this week’s fiendish questions and enter your answers below:
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
- What day is Thanksgiving in the USA? Fourth Thursday in November
- What are the three flavours of pie served on Thanksgiving? Pecan, apple and pumpkin
- What country other than the USA celebrates Thanksgiving? Canada
- What is the key ingredient in making jelly wobble? Gelatine
- What do Americans call the jelly dessert? Jello
Well done to the following Second Year Hamptonians who answered everything correctly – Jesse G, Finn G, Eden J, Logan K, Zachariah A, Panshul B, Julian H, Benjamin M, Peter R-R, Isaac L, Ishaan J and Ansh R.
If you’re keen to write some general knowledge questions for the Blog, please email e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk.
