Welcome to the Fourth Year Blog!
It has been another action-packed half term for our Fourth Years who have been busy on the sports fields, ski slopes and in the classroom since our last Blog. We hope that you enjoy this half term’s round up of everything Fourth Year!
Rock on!
Fourth Year Hamptonians were also seen swapping textbooks for guitars at this year’s unforgettable Rock Concert. From electrifying solos to powerful vocals, our pupils showcased their various talents for the audience who were left buzzing from the performances! Devan B (4D) tells us what it was like to be one of the musicians performing on the Hammond Theatre stage:
This year’s Rock Concert was an absolute success, bringing together pupils, teachers, and families for a night of pure energy and great music. As a singer of one of the bands, I got to experience firsthand just how amazing the atmosphere was. Every performance brought something unique – whether that be incredible guitar solos or songs that had the whole crowd singing along. By the end of the night, everyone was left buzzing with excitement, already looking forward to the summer concert.
Take a look at some of the talent on show in this year’s Rock Concert:
Talk! Christina Lamb OBE
Our resident Talk! correspondent Rory M (4A) attended this inspirational and thought-provoking lecture by Christina Lamb. Here is what he had to say about it:
On Tuesday 28 January, Hampton pupils were presented with the amazing opportunity to hear from Christina Lamb OBE, who was kind enough to make time in her busy schedule to discuss her impressive career in journalism, particularly as a foreign correspondent in some of the most afflicted areas of the world. The Talk! started with a summary of Mrs Lamb’s career, from her documenting the Afghan mujaheddin’s fight against the Soviets in 1988 that saw her win the Young Journalist of the Year award, to returning in 2006 where she nearly died in an ambush. It was wonderful to have her share her experiences with us and a testament to her great strength and resilience to speak so freely about it to us.
Later, we delved into specific examples of the opportunities and challenges faced as a foreign correspondent journalist, including one humorous story about a day trip to file a report on a story close to her family holiday transformed into hopping from one flight to the next reporting on a series of major stories as events unfolded across Europe, leaving her son ‘abandoning’ (with family members) in Northern France whilst she was left to cope for a week in extremely sunny Tunisia in jeans and with an inadequate supply of toiletries. Overall, it was a fantastic lunchtime spent listening to an incredible person with a great deal to say from a unique perspective at a time when wars and conflict seem to be expanding across the globe.
Football Success
Our Football teams have enjoyed great success in their recent ESFA cup ties. Here’s what Arthur K (4D) and Harrison G (4D) had to say about their B team cup clash with Oakwood Park Grammar School:
On Tuesday 21 January, the U15B team travelled to Oakwood Park Grammar School in Kent. After a gruelling 1 hour 30 minute bus journey, it was clear the boys were ready to play. The match kicked off at 2pm and within ten minutes we were awarded a free kick a couple of yards away from the 18-yard box. As Ashton C (4E) won it, it was natural for him to take it. He stepped up and slotted it in the bottom right corner, on the keeper’s near side! Unconventional yet successful, a brilliant start and a good nerve settler for us. After Ashton’s goal we were playing with confidence, however after a quickly taken, well-worked free kick we saw ourselves pegged back to 1-1. After that it was smooth sailing until the end of the half. After a short break and an inspiring team talk from Mr Finnerty we were back out and ready for the second half.
We finished the first half as we meant to continue with a quick, good start to the second half giving us the momentum. Eventually, after some work, Ashton C (4E) managed to score his second of the game with a nice finish across the face of the keeper. After that goal, the opposition needed to find something quickly. After good defending from Hampton and a quick counterattack, Theo J (4E) dribbled around the keeper and two defenders that surrounded him to put the game to bed with a beautiful goal. The game ended 3-1 to Hampton, a sweet end to the game after a lot of preparation and dedication put into it by the boys.
By Arthur K (4D)
On a cold, bitter Tuesday afternoon, the U15B team travelled to Oakwood Park Grammar School to battle a strong side on a mud bath of a pitch. The match began with intensity as an unfortunate opposition player found himself injured in an early challenge. They kept pushing against our defence, but we held up and Ashton C scored a decent free kick within 15 minutes to put us 1-0 up. The game stayed balanced throughout the half, and apart from an unfortunate opposition goal from a free kick of their own, we held up and adapted well to the trying conditions of the boggy park pitch. A particularly strong performance from Theo J in the midfield kept us going to half time away from home. It was 1-1 coming out of the break and the match became tough with some big chances at both ends. Many counter attacking chances from both sides kept the tension high and the pace fast, but one fruitful opportunity saw us advance back into a winning position with a clean top corner strike by Ashton C. After this, we took control. By this point we were all used to the unusually poor playing surface, and our opposition were unable to match our speed and intensity that created our third and final goal from Theo J. A simple bottom right finish after a short scramble in the Oakwood Park box. Despite our lead, as the clock ran down, the Oakwood players refused to give up. Space became tight, time on the ball became short, the pressure built up. But we were able to simply outclass our opponents and fight to the final whistle, to get us through to the ESFA Cup quarter final (again), to play former champions, Kingsdale Foundation.
By Harrison G (4D)
ISFA Final – Here we come!
It’s not just the ESFA competition that are footballers have been excelling in, our U15A team have made it all the way to the ISFA Final! Let’s hear from Tom S (4C) on their fantastic performance in the semi-final:
On Thursday 6 February, Hampton’s U15A football team made the long journey up to Repton School for their ISFA Cup semi-final. Repton kicked off the game the more dominant side, with their 5-3-2 formation proving a challenge for Hampton to deal with. Repton’s early spell of possession resulted in a well-crafted goal to put them 1-0 up after 20 minutes. However, Hampton knew that the game was still in its early stages, and having battled back to win games from losing positions already this season, they knew they had it in them to fight back. Feeling more motivated than ever, Hampton fought back before half time, leading 2-1 courtesy of two goals from Oliver K.
Hampton came out for the second half with all guns blazing. A brilliant run from Ben W added another to Hampton’s lead before Alex P struck the ball past the Repton goalkeeper from a free kick to give Hampton a 4-1 lead. Despite their now comfortable lead, Hampton showed their composure to maintain their advantage and some solid defensive work sealed a hard-fought semi-final victory for Hampton’s U15A team. Hampton can now look forward to a massive game against Aldenham School in the final at Burton Albion F.C on Thursday 13 March.
A phenomenal achievement – well done to our U15A footballers – we can’t wait for the final!
Basketball
Last Wednesday came with promises of an entertaining match and entertain it did. Our U15A squad made the trip to The Kingston Academy for a 3.45pm tip off. The was journey short and our boys arrived ready and raring to go. As we arrived, it was clear that we had our work cut out, but captain, Alex L, reminded us that we should keep our heads held high. With those wise words we were off. Despite being slightly understaffed, with our seven men going against their imposing twelve, the game started off close with Hampton on a 6-0 run to take an early lead. However, we quickly lost the lead, and when trailing, it was hard to come back against such a well-coached team. The game ended a close one, with a narrow 51-40 loss. Shout out to Will D and Alex L for their good passing and defensive performances respectively. It is chalked up as a loss but the team moves on to the next.
By Jaime RB (4D)
Senior Ski trip
Great to hear so many of you enjoyed hitting the slopes over the Christmas holidays, Oliver C (4A) tells us all about it:
On the last day of the autumn term, I set off for Heathrow Airport at the crack of dawn to join 35 other Hamptonians for the start of the 2024 Senior Ski Trip to Passo Tonale in Italy. We flew into Venice, then after a coach trip from there we arrived at the resort, tired but excited for all the skiing fun ahead of us. That first evening we tucked into some hearty Italian cuisine and relaxed before hitting the slopes early the next morning. I was a complete beginner, so learned all the basics, while the advanced and intermediate groups flew past! It was an exhausting but thrilling day, and we were well fed to fuel us. Sadly, my luck took a turn for the worse on day two when I suddenly started being sick. I ended up missing a day and a half of skiing – and fantastic food! I did get to luxuriate in my own (isolation) room for that time, so I could rest and recover. Fortunately, I bounced back enough to enjoy the last two days, even if I definitely arrived home a lot skinnier! All in all, it was a brilliant trip I was lucky to be a part of. It was great to end up being able to pick up some real speed going downhill and learn how to stop and turn on skis with ease. It was also great spending time with my friends and getting to share that experience together. I would heartily recommend it to anyone else who gets the opportunity!
Careers week
Our annual Careers week saw talks from experts in a variety of fields such as Science, Sustainability, Engineering and Sport. Sanjit B (4E) reports on the sport performance and medicine talk which you can read about below:
From the 27 to 30 January, Hamptonians from Fourth Year to Upper Sixth joined a teams call to listen to speakers discuss a wide range of careers for Careers Week. Some of these talks included Engineering, Law and Finance and all the speakers were extremely knowledgeable in their area. A few of these speakers were Alumni who had returned to give insights on their career paths after leaving Hampton and how that shaped their future in different sectors. One such talk was the sports performance and medicine talk where three Alumni spoke about their jobs. Dom Jackson, a semi-professional cyclist, set up and runs his own sport coaching company while on the side he is the account manager for a cycling team. Ben Lowe is the player experience director at England Rugby and works to try and grow the game by organising grassroots competitions and reaching new people through innovation. Tom Leggett is a GP and is working towards becoming a sports and exercise medical consultant. Like the other talks, the aim was to highlight the journey that Hamptonians could take to get into the sector.
A particularly interesting part of the talk was when the three discussed what inspired them to get into sport. Despite them all ending up in the sports sector, their paths there were extremely different. For example, Dom Jackson didn’t really enjoy playing sports that much when starting out at Hampton but then became very passionate at rowing in the Third Year. This newfound passion for sport caused him to try running next and then eventually settle on cycling. In contrast, Tom Leggett really enjoyed sports throughout Hampton but soon realised he wouldn’t make it as a player. Yet despite this, his love for sport meant that he wanted to be involved in it even if he wasn’t playing. Therefore, he went to medical school to become a sports doctor. Yet, Ben Lowe’s path into sport could be argued to be seemingly more unlikely. At university he got a degree in Economics and Geography and then got a job in commercial sales and marketing.
This may seem a world away from sports but the skills he learnt doing marketing proved to be helpful when trying to grow the game of rugby because, after all, he was almost marketing a product. He also credited this fusion of his job and his passion to the transferable, soft skills that he had learnt along the way. For example, communication skills, the ability to influence people and leadership were crucial in him transferring his skills.
Overall, they all agreed that while qualifications can benefit you initially (they give you initial credibility and some jobs require certain degrees) it is the soft skills that are most important as they allow you to build a relationship and trust with your client. Also, it shows how wide the sports sector, and indeed any sector, is because the skills you learn in one job can easily help you in a job related to sport.
A common theme when discussing what a regular week would look like was the vast variety of clients and stakeholders that they would interact with. These can range from charities, scouts and individual clients to football, rugby and hockey clubs to government agencies (like the NHS and Sport England). All of these play a role in the sport and interacting with lots of different people in lots of different places is central to these businesses.
While all the speakers agreed that they were very fortunate to work in the roles they do, they all equally believed that on the inside, sport is much harder and more complex than it appears. To run a sports team or business requires a larger variety of people than someone would think and organising this becomes extremely difficult. Their main pieces of advice were to keep on developing these transferable skills that will be so important in the future. This can be done by work experience or even playing the sport itself. Also, due to the number of stakeholders and people that you meet, sports-related jobs can open many more opportunities. While this talk was only a small part of what was a very insightful careers week, it highlighted how unpredictable a career path can be and that it is always possible to combine your skillset with what you want to achieve in the future. Whether that is in a sports company or another profession.
UKLO!
This half term, some of our Fourth Years took on the challenges posed by the UK Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO). Below we hear from Sam F (4J) about the challenge and how our Hamptonians faired:
Have you ever just been going about your day, and then suddenly need to translate nine Proto-Basque numbers into English having been told the translation of just one of them? Or decipher a bizarre-looking paragraph in an equally unusual language called SENĆOŦEN? Well, if you’ve done the UKLO, you’re in luck! Last week, Jamie R, Darshan S, Haadi H and I took part in the UKLO, an optional exam filled with linguistic problems such as the ones mentioned above. In Linguistics Club, Jamie and I had been practising our semi-gibberish decoding skills for around a year, learning about various linguistic concepts which apply in curious ways to every intricacy of language. This led us to do the UKLO but is not required.
The paper itself is only five questions but is two and a half hours long – a testament to the duration and difficulty of each challenge! We all got on well (I think!), each of us mastering different questions; one about Egyptian hieroglyphics Jamie and Darshan understood, while one about Cherokee me and Haadi preferred. The results will be revealed in late February, with higher scores attaining Bronze, Silver and Gold awards – all of which are notoriously difficult to achieve. Even if languages don’t interest you as much, a huge portion of each question is problem-solving and pattern recognition – so if you’re a keen riddle-breaker or problem-solver, I’m sure you’ll love Linguistics Club and the UKLO. It’s so satisfying, even if the language feels somewhat random, to see just how much you can figure out about a language you’ve never even heard of. Plus, it’s a great thing to put on a personal statement/CV, especially if you get an award! So next time you find yourself trying to translate Cherokee verb endings from a jumbled sentence, you’ll know what to do!
Chess – The Challengers (part 3)
Our chess guru Alex L (4D) continues his gripping account of a recent chess tournament below. We will have to wait until the next Newsletter for the final instalment!
Walking out of the doors of the games hall, I was analysing the game with my victorious friend. My dad was standing outside the area, ready to console me about my tragic loss. I told my friend to win the last game for me and qualify to the tera finals since he was half a point ahead of me now.
The final game commenced soon after, my heart beating as I thought that qualifying was now out of the question. I had a good run, earning over 50 rating points, but it wasn’t enough. For the last game I asked only one thing from myself: to play to my best ability and enjoy the game. Following my short meditation, my opponent started the clock. Even though I had the white pieces this game, my opponent was undefeated the whole tournament, being able to draw against even the strongest of opponents. Predictably, our game was swaying to a draw as pieces came off the board, eventually leaving us both with a queen each, pawns and minor pieces. At this moment my opponent had first offered me the draw, hoping to continue his unbeaten streak further. To my surprise however, my friend, who was sitting next to us had lost his game, meaning that I could still go to the tiebreaks for that precious, second spot as the first had already been claimed. Noticing that both my opponent and I were low on time, I decided to risk my rating for the glory of victory, no matter how small the odds were for success. Swaying to a lost position, I wasn’t giving up, pushing back for a drawn position. I felt that there was nothing to lose but everything to gain from this risk. After many moves, I found the game winning move, pinning my opponents queen to his king, after one of us had inevitably given out under the immense pressure. I was through to the tiebreaks and ready to win, as the boards were set up and only three young chess players had remained, eager to prove themselves worthy of the qualification spot…
Final part in the Easter Blog!
Bugsy Malone
Well done to our Fourth Years who stepped back in time to the roaring 1920s to put on several impressive performances of Bugsy Malone in the final week before half term. With dazzling costumes, energetic performances and plenty of gangster-style fun, their hard work delivered a truly show-stopping spectacle!
Organ Scholar
Fantastic to hear that Theo T (4H) has been appointed as a Senior Organ Scholar by the Parish of Esher. Let’s hear more about it from Theo:
A few things have happened since the beginning of Fourth Year in my musical journey, which kicked off with the Composition Competition last month, and I am delighted and excited for my piece “Radiance” to be awarded the First Prize. It’s a four-part harmony chorale piece and is inspired by Marie Curie the great scientist of 19th century, and it’s going to be premiered during the Spring Concert in March in the Hammond Theatre.
Christmas was a busy period for my organ playing, with the first event being the Centenary Carol Service for my old school Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep, then our own school’s Christmas Carol service, and then as a guest Organist for the Christmas Eve Concert for West End Church in Esher and finally St Mary’s Church in Teddington on Christmas Day. Although I have been an Organist for almost three years, for the last event I was completely on my own, which was my first visit to the Teddington church let alone playing the organ, so it was slightly nerve racking, but it was well received from the congregation, in fact I was invited by their Music Director to play regularly there which is good to hear.
In early February I was commissioned by Parish of Esher as the Senior Organ Scholar, with more responsibilities including more organ and piano pieces to play during services of the three churches in the parish, as well as choir support, which is a challenge I look forward to.
