WELCOME TO THE SECOND YEAR BLOG!
Welcome back to the Second Year Blog! There is only one week to go until half term, and it has truly flown by.
Last Thursday was National Poetry Day and our Second Years performed poems in another language during a lunch time recital. The video is included below – it’s brilliant, we clearly have some very talented linguists and performers in the Second Year!
This week we hear about some more co-curricular activities, such as the brand-new Dog Club, where participants get to meet the lovely, although slightly slobbery, ball of fur that is Harris. Cryptic Crossword Club is proving to be very popular – try it out for yourself using the examples in this blog!
MERIT MILESTONES
Wow, a bumper week for merits! Well done to the following Second Years:
James Ayres – 10
Ben Fulford – 10
Tanish Kondamuri – 10
Xander Lindsay – 10
Freddie Fulcher – 10
Thomas Young – 10
Harry Dixon – 10
Josh Don Carolis – 10
Ian Lu – 10
Vivaan Senapati – 10
Max Miller – 10
Ethan Choi – 10
Harry Cole – 10
Leo Syverson – 10
Alexander Bubb – 10
George Corbett – 10
Reuben Nicholson – 20
Ethan Sharma-Wadeson – 20
Riyaan Gajendran – 10
Ruhaan Vinod – 10
Saiyan Bhullar – 10
George Baillie – 10
Akshaj Gupta – 10
Maximilian Pruess – 10
Ioan Popa – 10
Oscar Gilbert – 10
Oscar Connell – 10
Noah Parry – 10
Rayyan Shah – 10
Eliott Parker – 10
Ben Fulford – 20
Maximilian Pruess – 20
Duncan Chan – 20
TUTOR QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Each week the pupils decide on a question to ask all the Second Year Form Tutors. This week…
Does cereal (with milk) count as a soup?
- Yes
- No – Mrs Owen, Miss Holt, 2W, Mr Harrison, Miss Eamens, Miss Tiller, Ms Wallace, Miss Mattinson, 2L
I don’t think we’ve ever had a question with such a unanimous response! This question certainly caused some definite outrage from the Tutor Team and the tutor groups alike, some even called the question ‘ridiculous’…
Have you ever had a burning question you’ve always wanted to ask your form tutors?! If so, then please send your suggestions for next week’s Tutor Question Time to b.tiller@hamptonschool.org.uk.
Meet Miss Tiller!
Our weekly interviews are a great opportunity for you to find found out a little bit more about your Tutors! So, thank you to Ethan C and Sujay N (2L) who interviewed Miss Tiller, Drama Teacher and 2L’s Form Tutor!
What convinced you to work at Hampton?
It was the immediate good vibes! It all started in the days of Covid, and my interview was done online. They toured me through the school by carrying the laptop! Even through the screen, I could feel the bubbly atmosphere of the pupils and my soon-to-be colleagues.
Cats or Dogs?
I actually have two dogs: there are Jack-a-poo’s called Eddie and Reggie. So… of course I’d have to go with dogs!
If a penguin showed up to your doorstep, what would you do with it?
Good question. I would ask it to come in (only if it wanted to!), but ethically, I would have to find out where it came from and let it go, but I would love a pet penguin!
Who has the best hairstyle in 2L?
Easy – me.
If you could turn into any animal of your choice, what would it be?
I would be a seagull; I could relax at the beach 24/7 and steal chips from people!
Buddies!
On Friday, all the Second Years, during break, met our buddies as we were assigned to ‘look after’ a First Year. It was fantastically fun. It was nice to eat cookies with them, asking them questions or giving them advise. And my buddy was very nice (I will not say his name just in case he does not want me to), and I hope he has finally found Art Club.
When I was walking out of the Hammond, after meeting the First Years, I thought: Whoever’s idea this was, is a genius. There were three reasons why I thought this. Firstly, this meeting will give us a good connection with the First Years. Second, the First Years now have someone to talk to and trust; they also have their mentors but there is a big age gap that might distract their trust but the Second Years are just one year apart from them. Finally, this could give us a responsibility to make sure they would have a wonderful first year at Hampton!
If you are a First Year and you are reading this, I hope you had fun and do not be shy, we do not bite!
By Ethan C (2L)
Poetry Recital
A few weeks ago, Miss Noble, my Spanish teacher, tasked us with finding a Spanish poem, and a week later, recite it to the form group. After we had all said our poems, the three best performers were chosen to go through to a final. I was lucky enough to be selected, and it was a really enjoyable event and was definitely one that I will remember. There were some very fun poems, while also being some with deeper meanings. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would happily do it again – I hope you enjoy watching the video!
By Matthew T (2L)
Swimming Gala!
Last week I participated at a swimming gala. It took place over two days, and I had to stay there for 14 hours in total, most of it waiting for the race than the actual race itself! I was lucky in the fact I was doing every single race, so at most I had to wait an hour for the next race. Out of the sixteen races I got 13 medals, and all were personal bests for the races. I think it’s a nice experience as you get to talk to like-minded swimmers that somehow have enough time to be there, as usually you are too busy swimming to talk to them at all.
By Erik P (2W)
Club of the Week!
Every week we’ll try and feature a new co-curricular club, this week we have an article all about Dog Club from Harry C (2L) and Cryptic Crossword Club by William P and Ruhaan V (2B):
Dog Club
On Wednesday, I went to Dog Club (which is a brand new club) with some of my friends and I have to say I really enjoyed it, it was such a great experience. The ‘school’s dog’ Harris is the star of the show, and we were briefly told how to handle him to make sure he is trained properly before he was unleashed! Since we were in the lecture theatre, we had lots of space to practise Harris’s recall and commands – rewarding him with tons of treats which we almost went through an entire packet of! Then we got given some of his favourite toys such as a squeaker and a rope, which I obviously played tug of war with him. Finally, we ended the session by playing some classic fetch with Harris and some tennis balls (which he went mad chasing with his tongue sticking out of his mouth.) I recommend this club to anyone who likes dogs, or animals in general, as it is really good bonding time and is helping train Harris for future boys who come to the School. I did though end up getting a bit of slobber on my hand and trousers…
Cryptic Crossword Club
Cryptic Crossword Club is one of my favourite things to do here at Hampton. Every week I run straight to G49 in the Atrium and sit down with all my friends to do the best club at Hampton. Cryptic crossword is a great club for everyone, as you can test your brain with tricky questions, while having fun with your friends in between. This week, we had to try and work out 18 different cryptic crossword clues with our group. I was with Emile S (2W), Toby W (2B), Wyatt M (2B) and Ruhaan V (2B). We finished just as the bell rang for the end of lunch and we were ecstatic. It was the first time that we had finished everything in less than 30 minutes! As we compared our answers with another group, we realised that we had got every single one correct.
So, if you want a club which tests your brain while you’re having fun, then this is the perfect club for you. It is in G49 at 1.15pm every week on Wednesday with Mr Haynes and Miss Mattinson
Here are some cryptic crossword clues to try work out:
Keel over, becoming something green (4)
Keeps dissolving in tears (7)
Metal concealed by environmentalist (4)
Go to the bottom of the blog to find the answers!
Book Review
Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks
Black Rabbit Summer is one of the best books that I’ve read by far. The main reason is because it ticks all the boxes to becoming an awesome book. This spectacular, young adult novel contains mystery and old friendship, it also explores themes such as loss, loyalty, and the impact of choices. The plot kicks off about a group of ordinary teenagers living in a small town and how the summer changes the main character and his friends’ lives making it extraordinary. The most exciting adventure begins when they discover the body of a missing girl. This shocking event leads them to uncover secrets of their town and confront their own feelings. All of this leads to a powerful ending that makes readers think about the significance of life decisions. Overall, this story is a mix of mystery and personal growth that kept me gripped for the whole book.
By Shaurya D (2L)
TALK!
Great to see so many of you at the first Talk! of the academic year. Hot on the heels of Lord Patten, we hear from distinguished foreign correspondent Nick Bryant, one of the most knowledgeable and respected commentators on the US.
With only weeks to go before the US Election, Nick joins us live from Sydney, Australia to chat about all things politics. There’s no need to book a ticket, just come along to the Hammond Theatre next Tuesday 15 October at 1pm.
Find out more here.
Food Bank Collection
Next Friday is our first collection for Feltham Food Bank. They are particularly in need of instant coffee, sugar, vegetable noodles, tinned meat, fruit squash and basmati rice. Please bring your donations to the front of School from 8.15am. Thank you!
SPECIAL SHOUTOUTS!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school and to celebrate your successes in the Second Year Blog! Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Miss Tiller. B.Tiller@hamptonschool.org.uk
WHO’S THAT BABY?!
Last week’s baby was… Miss Winstock, 2H’s form tutor!!!!
Who could it be this week? Come back next week to find out! I will be making all the photos black and white, so don’t let that fool you!
White board cartoon of the week!
2L have began creating a series of whiteboard cartoons! This week the cartoon is inspired by a Chemistry test that 2L have been busy revising for.
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 and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
- On which continent would you find the world’s largest desert? Antarctica
- Which planet has the most moons? Saturn
- What is the rarest and most expensive spice in the world by weight? Saffron
- What do you call it when a bowler makes three strikes in a row? Turkey
- How many hearts does an octopus have? Three
Well done to the following Second Year Hamptonians who answered everything correctly – Reuben N, Rey J, Emile S, Eliott P, Ridhaan G, Joseph G, Rayan A, Nirvaan B, Aman C, Yousuf H, Ollie S, George W, Will H, Shaurya D, Charlie F, Henry S, Ian L, Ethan W and Ilakian D.
Cryptic Crossword Answers
Keel over, becoming something green (4) Leek
Keeps dissolving in tears (7) Retains
Metal concealed by environmentalist (4) Iron
