Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
The sun has finally come out, and with it, we’re beginning to feel the first signs of Spring! This week, Second Years have been gearing up for Character Day and it was fantastic to see such a wide range of characters – from Gandalf to Willy Wonka to Sherlock Holmes! During break time, everyone gathered in the Cloisters to take photos, show off their amazing costumes, and celebrate the winners of the best costume and runner-up prizes. Each form also enjoyed a creative workshop with Alice McIlroy (author of ‘The Glass Woman’ and former teacher), who led pupils through the art of writing dystopian fiction. In addition to all the fun, the event raised money for this year’s Form Charities: Shooting Star Hospice, Alzheimer’s Society, and UNICEF.
In this week’s blog, we’re celebrating women in honour of this weekend’s International Women’s Day, reflecting on Mr Cross’ fantastic Talk! on his experiences as an Olympic medal-winning rower, and getting an insight into the Forms’ upcoming Drama performances.
Merit Milestones
Another bumper week for Merits:
Ali Shirinbekov – 10
Kabir Tuteja – 10
Alex Barkus – 20
Krrish Anand – 20
Toby Woods – 20
Jayen Li – 20
Harry Richardson – 30
Justin Kim – 30
Dan Ellis – 30
Milan Samanta – 40
Naivedya Agarwal – 50 (off to see Mr Knibbs!)
Milan Samanta – 50 (fantastic!)
Ian Lu – 50 (congratulations!)
Milan Samanta – 60 (certificate number 3 – super!)
TUTOR QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Each week the pupils decide on a question to ask all the Second Year Form Tutors.
Would you rather:
- Be able to fly, but only one metre off the ground (Mrs Owen, Miss Holt, Mr Harrison, 2P – ‘marginally’)
- Be able to turn invisible, but only for one minute at a time (Miss Tiller and 2L)
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.
Interform Leaderboard
Following all of the recent interform tournaments, here’s an update on the current standings:
- 2W – 39
- 2L – 37
- 2H – 36
- 2F – 35
- 2J – 32
- 2B – 24
- 2P – 17
As you can see, the points are very close, so everything’s still to play for!
International Women’s Day
This Saturday 8 March is International Women’s Day and it is all about calling for gender equality and recognising the achievements of women. An important woman in my life is my mother. She helps me with things in day-to-day life like driving me to school and to my many out-of-school activities just to name a couple. She always wishes the best for me and is very kind and caring. I appreciate everything she does and has done for me.
I believe it is important to stand up and recognise that women still are not treated as fairly as men and call for equal rights and celebrate the achievements of other women that have stood for equality.
By Saiyan B (2J)
You may be familiar with the name Marie Curie, but how much do you really know about her? Just one google search tells you that she is a very famous person, but what did she do?
Firstly, she is Polish and was born in Warsaw, 1867 with two sisters and went to many schools, and even was home-tutored at one point because back then, there was a deep-rooted culture that was against women, which meant she couldn’t enroll in any higher education. However, by pushing hard and not giving up, she managed to attend higher education.
Following several moves between both Poland and France, a romance, and a lot of sexism, she eventually discovered new elements of the periodic table! The science behind these discoveries is too complex for an explanation by me, but in essence, she discovered both Radium and Polonium. Despite her gender, Curie pushed through many hard challenges others fell at and always strived for success and even won the Nobel prize. She is a true role model who I think we could all learn a lot from.
By Xander L (2J)
Character Day
From R2D2 to Zeus, the Hampton corridors were teeming with fictional figures today as Second Year pupils celebrated World Book Day 2025, raising money for this year’s Form Charities: Shooting Star Hospice, Alzheimer’s Society, and UNICEF.
Everyone looked fantastic, but special congratulations go to our winners: Ethan C spent the day as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland; Matthew T dressed as the eponymous hero from the book series Itch; and Ethan SW came to School as Tanjiro Kamado from the Japanese manga series Demon Slayer.
Take a look at some of the fabulous costumes from the day:
Subject of the week
The subject I will be talking about is Drama as an exciting project is taking place…
In Drama, we are currently working on a play which we will be showing to our parents. Half of the play is made by one of half of the class, and the other half of the play is made by the other half of the class. We are performing the play Snow White, and it is going quite well. It is fun to work as a class as we create a class project of humour and fun. Last Thursday we combined our classes to rehearse our play together.
It was nice to finally become one class again and see the play unravel before our eyes. Of course, there were a few mistakes and errors, but we pointed it out and gave each other good advice. We shared many laughs and lots of helpful information.
This project we are doing in Drama isn’t only good for our learning and education at Hampton School (and entertainment for our parents), but it is slowly bringing our class even closer together as a friend group. Whoever made this idea is fantastic, and I hope to see this kind of projects in other subjects as well. That is the Subject of the Week – see you next week.
By Ethan C (2L)
Talk!
One day, I was walking around school, and a poster caught my eye. It was about a talk from the Olympic Gold Medallist, Mr Cross. I really wanted to go partly because Mr Cross is my history teacher and partly because I really wanted to learn about what it was like to be an Olympic Gold Medallist.
So, on Thursday 6 March at 1pm, I turned up at the Talk! that changed my way of thinking about life. Mr Cross started off with showing us his Olympic medals: the Bronze medal he won at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the Gold medal that he won at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (competing alongside the famous Sir Steve Redgrave). Then he told us how he only really expected to get a Bronze and that was what he was happy with and then ended up also winning a Gold. Mr Cross showed us a clip of the 1984 Olympic rowing race, which had an exciting finish as the Great Britain team just managed to catch up with the USA boat in the last 500 metres and win an Olympic Gold. Mr Cross also answered many questions about the race and his team’s success and what they did to make sure they won.
But then he told us that all his accomplishments only made up half the person, only half of the story. He went on to tell us all the negative challenges that he faced and had to overcome and that not everything is perfect in life. Then Mr Cross explained to us what life is really about and how to make the most of your life. From this I learnt about the important things in life and the way to live a fulfilled life. My favourite part about the talk was how he passed the medals around for everyone to feel and touch. When they reached me, I was amazed: their intricate designs: the Russian words inscribed on them: the weight of the gold medal. It was an experience I will never forget.
Overall, I was really inspired by this Talk! and if there is one thing I took from the talk it would be that we all have our imperfections and that you should never give up on your dreams no matter how many of your failures weigh you down. Failures are what make a person, and everyone can learn a lot from their imperfections in life. It also showed me how family and your friends are everything in life and are there to support you every step of the way.
By James A (2H)
Cryptic Clues
As a renowned devotee of the club, Michael C (2J)’s passion for cryptic crosswords has extended into creating his own for us to try and solve!
The answer to last week’s clue ‘School phantom slaughtered’ (7 Letters) was…
‘Hampton’!
Can you guess this week’s?
Clue: Reply in 3G’s nearby shop (6)
Hint: ‘Nearby shop’ is the definition, and ‘reply’ could mean the letters ‘re’
Come back next week to find out if you guessed correctly!
Transcendent Tottenham Court Road
Last weekend, I travelled to Tottenham Court Road where I was warmly welcomed by an astonishing showcase of immersive art. This display (also known as the Outernet) is the most visited cultural attraction in Central London that brings together breathtaking arts, culture, and music experiences for all.
As I observed the enticing patterns sequentially switching, my mind wandered off into another world, making me think how this infinite galaxy of geometry was formed. The answer to this was ‘Transcendence’.
Transcendence is one of the three pieces created to explore the spaces that exist beneath – above and all around us – discoverable only when we tune out distractions. Intricate patterns inspired by nature are transposed to an ever-changing digital surface that ascends from aquatic ravines to divine skies and beyond. Using artistry exhibited by nature and a soundscape, transcendence is designed to evoke powerful emotional responses from viewers. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this admirable art display and highly recommend for you to go and experience the peace it brings within you.
By Riyaan G (2B)
Football Fun
It’s the last friendly of the season, and our strong U13C’s made our way up to F5, to challenge Dulwich Prep London, but not their C’s, in fact their B’s making it a harder rival. Peep!!! The whistle was blown. I was starting at right back as well as my fellow centre backs. The first half was intense, with our attacks being blocked and saved, but their attacks unable to pass our strong defence. Their players were rough and had some great opportunities, however our defence and keeper didn’t let them score.
Peep!!! Half-time. We played well in the second half as well, quick passes, 1-2 touch plays which really benefited us to get the ball up high. I think our team were much more confident in the second half, as we knew our oppositions weaknesses. Goal kick. Their keeper boots it high and far, but I manage to get a touch onto it. Touch, pass it to Jayen L (2B) and he passes it to Ridhaan G (2F) who runs into the corner and crosses it. Its blocked but out of nowhere, Artem K (2W) bangs it top right corner!!! We were ecstatic; however, we knew we had to keep fighting as we were only 1 up. The game kept going on, we had more chances, they had more chances and then the whistle went. 1-0!
This match was a very intense one. Well played everyone!
By Dante A (2P)
Book review
Ian L (2F) tells us about a book that he’s read recently:
Stormcrow by Ben Kane is about a man who found a priceless sword of Odin on a dead man during his childhood on the beach near his home in Ireland and took it to serve the God. During one of his travels to herd back the livestock that are miles away, his father was killed by a prince of the most powerful kingdom in Ireland who wanted the sword. He then embarked on a quest to regain his sword and seek vengeance on the prince. Personally, I think this book is really good as it is filled with action and adventure. The book is filled with twists and unexpected events. I really recommend the book to anyone who likes mythology and also action.
Pet of the Week
Introducing a new weekly section – Second Year pet of the week! Each week we’ll be meeting one of Second Year’s furry (or scaley!) friends. This week’s pet of the week is Pippa, Miss Mattinson’s dog. She’s 7 months old and sadly has been a little under the weather this week. Thankfully, she’s had some stitches and is on the mend, though is feeling a little sorry for herself. Get well soon, Pippa!
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 can’t wait to meet them!
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.
This week’s questions are written by Alex P (2F). Why don’t you have a go at this week’s questions and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
- What year did the Titanic sink? 1912
- Which ancient civilisation built Machu Picchu? The Inca civilisation
- What is the smallest country in the world by land area? Vatican City
- Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Michelangelo
- In Greek mythology, who was condemned to hold up the sky for eternity? Atlas
Well done to Ilakian D, Henry S, Liangxu Z, Shaurya D, Sebastian M, Toby B, Leo S, Alex B, Josh D C, Ethan W, Ian L, Naivedya A, Charlie F, George W and Arjan C. Don’t forget to collect a Merit.
If you’re keen to write some general knowledge questions for the Blog, please email e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk
