WELCOME TO THE SECOND YEAR BLOG!
Welcome back Hamptonians! I hope you all had a great two week holiday for the half term break, and it has been lovely to see the Second Years return to School with such enthusiasm. We have a short and busy half term ahead and Second Years have hit the ground running with matches, clubs and rehearsals for concerts and for the Lower School play The Comedy of Errors. In this week’s blog, we will hear about some of the exciting things you got up to over half term.
MERIT MILESTONES
Another bumper week for merits! Well done to the following Second Years:
Albert Khadzhiev – 10
Rey Jaiswal – 10
Rishi Kuppa – 10
Arjan Chana – 10
Shaurya Desai – 10
Magnus O’Leary – 10
Tom Jiang – 10
Richard Campbell – 10
Ocean Yin – 10
Ryan Sumanasekera – 20
Magnus Findlay – 20
Leo Syverson – 20
Harry Cole – 20
Ethan Choi – 20
Leonardo Pereira Xavier – 20
Ruaan Vamadevan – 20
George Baillie – 20
Ethan Sharma-Wadeson – 30
LION merits
Kahana McIntyre – 10
Liangxu Zhong – 20
TUTOR QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Each week the pupils decide on a question to ask all the Second Year Form Tutors. This week…
This week the question is: When watching or steaming a show or movie, do you have the subtitles on?
A. Yes Mrs Owen (but only because she can’t work out how to change it!), Miss Tiller, Miss Mattinson, 2L, 2W
B. No Mr Worrall
C. Both Miss Holt (not for comedies, as it ruins the punch line!), Mr Harrison (yes for TV but not for movies!)
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 Ms Wallace!
Our weekly interviews are a great opportunity for you to find found out a little bit more about your Tutors! So, thank you to Sujay N, Colin Y and Ethan C (2L) who interviewed Ms Wallace, English Teacher and 2L’s Form Tutor!
Cats or Dogs?
After Miss Tiller’s response to the same question, I have decided that I must rival her opinion by choosing cats. Cats are cleaner, smell better and need less attention than dogs. They are independent in clearing up their own mess. Overall, cats are the obvious superior party.
If you could be any celebrity of your choice, who would they be?
Beyoncé! She is a woman of principle and is hugely talented.
What do you think is the most useful staircase in the School?
For me, the English stairs are the most useful because I’m an English teacher, so I regularly use them. Importantly, they also lead to lunch.
Would you get rid of all AI if given the chance?
No, because at some point in the future, AI will learn much more than it knows right now. It could be hugely beneficial in the medicinal field in particular, helping with diagnosis, and cutting NHS waiting times.
If you could make any club you wanted, what would it be about?
We would write letters to famous authors, actors, sports people and politicians. This idea is inspired by how LEH wrote to the author of a poem they were studying; and they replied!
Winter’s coming!
Breaths being smoked in the freezing air, clocks turning back; yes, winter’s back! As the air and wind continues to get bitter, our travel to School gets more and more unpleasant. To avoid a gloomy and miserable morning, try to stay content and most importantly wrap up warm! Moreover, we have all started to get into focused moods as we return to lessons after a relaxing break. My two highlights of the week were a Chemistry practical and a football tournament.
In our exciting Chemistry lesson, we were given a chance to test a variety of liquids/solutions and see if they were acids or alkalis (we were even given a chance to use Pepsi in our experiment). In addition (rewinding back to the first day of the new term), our football coaches planned a very enjoyable tournament; I am pleased to say that my team started the competition off with a well-deserved 3-0 win. What a week; hopefully next week is just as thrilling!
By Riyaan G (2B)
Holiday highlights!
Below we will hear from Duncan C (2J) about his half term learning about beekeeping, Sujay N (2L) about his wonderful trip to Bristol, Ian L (2F) went on an adventure to Wales and Shaurya D (2L) tells us all about how he spent Diwali.
Diwali
Today I’ll be writing about my experience of Diwali, also known as Deepavali. In the Hindu culture, we celebrate Diwali, which symbolises the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. Diwali is celebrated by making rangolis, lighting diyas (little clay lamps) and lighting bright, colourful fireworks at night. In the weeks leading up to Diwali, me and my family began to prepare the house by cleaning it every day. We also decorated the house with rangolis made from coloured sand, hanging garlands and lighting the diyas that I had painted. My family exchanged gifts with our other friends. We also bought and received some Indian sweets such as Magas and Barfi.
On the night of Diwali, after we finished all our prayers and puja, we lit lots of bright fireworks that lit the night sky with bursts of light. After that even though Diwali is over, we still continue to celebrate it. Two days later I went to my friend’s house to light more fireworks as Diwali comes to an end. Diwali is such a great and beautiful celebration that brings people together, regardless of their background. I felt grateful to have a part of this vibrant celebration and can’t wait for next Diwali.
By Shaurya D (2L)
Busy Buzzing Bees
During the half term break I visited to an uncle who is a professor and a specialist in beekeeping. Here are some interesting facts that I have learnt, and I was amazed by his bee farm! Honeybees! these little bees are the most hardworking of their kind, they don’t hibernate and they just keep collecting pollen. These bees do represent dedication, focus, teamwork and prosperity.
What jobs do the bees have? Bees differentiate in their roles, there are worker bees, drone bees and the queen. The workers are the ones to collect pollen and nectar, these bees are female, and they have stingers. Then there are the drone bees, these bees are the male bees of the hive, and their sole job is to reproduce with the queen. After fall, the drone bees are kicked out of the hive as they are no longer useful, and the resources are tight during winter. The queen is of course the one that lays eggs, and the queen really doesn’t like other queens.
Nature is in fact, all tooth and claw.
Support the Beekeepers for better Nature! Beekeepers help the bees to create their hives, by putting wax at the bottom of one of the layers. This creates a solid foundation for the bees to create a perfectly symmetrical honeycomb design. Beekeepers harvest the honey usually once a year during summer depending on weather. And by supporting them, you are building a foundation for the world’s largest connection of pollinators, more than a third of the planet’s food supply! A pound of honey is made by two million flower visits by the bees.
Useful Tips: What do you do if you get stung? You should never pull it out with your finger, see there are little poison sacs on the bee, and if you squeeze it really softly even with your finger, there is more poison being pumped into you. So, use a card or a little plucker and gently scoop out the stingers. Which honey brands are good? You don’t need to buy the expensive brands. Always buy honey from a trusted organic source, the best option is directly from the beekeepers!
By Duncan C (2J)
Bristol!
In the half term holidays, my family and I went to an open day at Bristol University, specifically for the economics course, as my brother is interested in the subject. It was an hour and a half journey from my house, and another 15 minutes were spent walking from the car park to the university itself. Although I was exhausted, I was amazed at how large the campus was. It was like a small town, with actual roads and houses! Everything seemed so random, one moment you were looking at a little house, and the next, you were looking at the Fry Building (the mathematics building), one of the biggest structures in the whole campus! The entire project would have taken many years and even billions of pounds to complete.
After navigating through the narrow streets for around 10 minutes, we finally got to the School of Economics. I was surprised to see so many people there, but it was expected as there are so many factors affecting the economy today. We had a talk from a professor for half an hour, but I understood exactly 0% of what he was saying. This was more of my brother’s kind of thing. After nearly falling asleep in the lecture hall, we left the university and travelled to the Cabot Circus Mall. It was HUGE, with entire floors dedicated to clothes, food, and technology and more. After having a hearty meal, we decided to explore the clothing section. My mum and my brother spent 20 minutes picking a single outfit, and I got some nice shoes for my birthday celebration (which will be three days prior to when you read this). We went back home, tired but happy. And we also knew that it probably wouldn’t be our last time here.
By Sujay N (2L)
Wonderful Wales!
Over the half term, I went on a trip to South Wales where I went fishing, crabbing and finding molluscs on the beach. In this blog, I will tell you all about it. For the first two nights, we stayed in Swansea. After a long drive, we finally arrived at Swansea where we checked in to the place we were staying. After we checked in, we explored Swansea. We even went inside the Swansea University campus. After, we went to a fish and chips shop. Then we went home and went to sleep. On the second day, we decided to go fishing. The first location was not suitable for fishing as it was a beach and the tide was clearly rising so instead, we tried to dig for clams in the sand. After, we went to the second location, where there is a pier. Unfortunately, the pier was closed, so we had to fish from the side of the platform. In the morning of the third day, we visited the beach situated at the front of the Singleton campus of the Swansea University where I found lots of live clams and even a live mussel!
On the afternoon of the third day, we went to the town of Barry in South Wales where we checked in to an amazing Airbnb. There was a private gym and even a snooker table in the garden. After checking in, we had dinner and went to bed. On the fourth day, we went to a rocky outcrop near a beach where my sister was playing. The was lots of rock pools on the outcrops. There were shrimps in most and even small fish in one of them. Unfortunately, the tide was rising so it was not the right time to go crabbing. Unluckily, me and my dad did not catch anything as my rod got caught on a kelp and my hook got pulled off and the second rod has got its string tangled up because I wrapped the string in the wrong way (sorry!). Before we went back to where we were staying, I went to a souvenir shop near the main beach where I had a hard time whether deciding to buy a red Wales dragon figurine, a collectable coin or a key ring with my name on it. Finally, I decided to buy the dragon figurine. On the final day, we said goodbye to the wonderful house which we stayed at. After we left Barry, we went to Cardiff to quickly explore the city before we got home. After a long trip, we finally got home to get some rest. The trip to Wales was amazing. I wonder where I would go next?
By Ian L (2F)
Olympic rower: Mr Cross
Ollie S (2H) interviewed History teacher and Olympic rowing gold medallist and has written a report to be included in the Hampton Sports Chronicle. Below is a short extract from the original article.
Mr Cross is a former British Rower who has competed at the highest level in the Olympics, rowing championships and international regattas across the globe. He attended Cardinal Vaughn Memorial School where his love for rowing blossomed. Some of his extraordinary achievements include winning Gold in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 and at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Following his retirement, Mr Cross worked in journalism and broadcasting, most recently commentating on the Olympics this year in Paris. He writes about rowing for The Guardian and co-commentates with Greg Searle OH (1990) for the International Rowing Federation. He now works part time as a history teacher at Hampton School. I caught up with him about his success as an accomplished rower.
Perhaps the most influential reason as to why Mr Cross was inspired to start rowing was his father, who was a PE teacher at his school. He described how he was ‘rubbish at football, so my dad said maybe you might be able to try rowing.’ Further to the inspiration drawn from his father, Mr Cross adds how his first rowing sessions came in his Third Year of school and that despite the fact he was ‘still rubbish’ at the sport, he was ‘less rubbish compared to other people’ because everyone had started at the same time. However, the spark that ignited Mr Cross’s rowing fire was the arrival of Olympic rower, Jim Clarke, who joined the school’s PE department in his Fourth Year, inspiring Mr Cross through their conversations about ‘the races he had on the continent’ and, more locally, his time at the Thames Tradesmen rowing club in Barnes. Following this inspiration, Mr Cross joined the club ‘Thames Tradesmen’ where his ‘try-hard mentality’ paid off. The inspiration of Jim Clarke planted the goal of competing at the national championship in both his and friend Derek Bond’s heads.
Mr Cross has two Olympic medals from his time as being a British oarsman. However, the resilience to make it to the Olympics would not have happened without the inspiration drawn from many different people over the years. Growing up, Mr Cross was ‘Olympics mad,’ yet watching the Olympics on the television was difficult as it was never that popular to watch. He explained that ‘if I was ever to become involved in rowing, my mission would be to make it to the Olympics,’ which he described as the ‘festival of sport.’ Through determination and hard work, Mr Cross successfully won his first championships in 1975 at the age of 18, and this boosted his confidence. His first Olympics was Moscow in 1980. Mr Cross explained how it was the ‘boycott year’ (due to the host nation’s invasion of Afghanistan) and there was ‘a lot of pressure’ on the British team not to participate, but his team of friends from the Sixth Form continued nevertheless and successfully raced against the smaller number of competing teams, ultimately winning a bronze medal.
Special Shoutouts!
A huge well done to Duncan C (2J) who won the U14 tennis county tour. He won all three consecutive matches and the final too!
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?!
This half term’s first, long awaited, baby photo is here! Who do you think it could be? Don’t forget, I make all the photos black and white to make it that much trickier!
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 come to us from Rey J (2L). Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
- What century was the first Jack o Lantern made? 1800s
- What is the voted to be the most popular Halloween costume in the UK in 2024? Shrunken Head Bob
- What flying animal can Dracula turn into? A bat!
- What is another name for Halloween? All Hallows’ Eve
- What famous magician died on Halloween? Harry Houdini
Well done to Ian L and Naivedya A who answered everything correctly.
HAVE A GREAT weekend!
Back to All Blogs
