Welcome to the second Year Blog!
It’s been a busy, fun week for our Second Years. There was success at the Model United Nations conference at the weekend (report below). Then, on Monday, we had an assembly by Mr Lawrence about Holocaust Memorial Day, which we followed up further in our PSHE session on Thursday. The assembly was about the importance of remembering the individuals that they wanted to erase.
A highlight of last week was the Form Charity Quiz with LEH. Well done to all the competitors and I’m pleased to relay the results:
In third place, we had 2P!!!
Second place was joint between 2F and 2H
And our winners were… *drumroll please*
Artim, Henry, and Kahana from 2W!
Congratulations!
MERIT MILESTONES
Another bumper week for merits! Well done to the following Second Years:
Francisco Conte Ireland – 10
Henry Spray – 20
Nicholas Senior – 20
Kaya Kozan – 20
Yousuf Hussian – 20
Rishi Kuppa – 20
Aman Popal – 30
Finn Timba – 30
Richard Campbell – 30
Shaurya Desai – 30
Sujay Neela – 30
Max Miller – 30
Zaki Tahir – 30
Liangxu Zhong – 40
Naivedya Agarwal – 40
Zaki Tahir – 40
George Corbett – 40
Ryan Sumanasukera – 40
Reuben Nicholson – 50 (Congratulations!)
Leo Syverson – 50 (Fantastic!)
Ethan Choi – 50 (Super!)
Colin Yeung – 60 (Tremendous!)
LION merits
Shaurya Desai – 20
Liangxu Zhong – 40
TUTOR QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Each week the pupils decide on a question to ask all the Second Year form tutors.
This week’s question was sent in by Long T (2P).
Would you rather:
A: Be immune to diseases and injuries but you are so weak you cannot barely lift a pebble – 2F, Mrs Owen, Miss Holt, Miss Tiller, 2L
B: Be strong enough to lift a building but you could be put in hospital by just a minor scratch – 2W
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 b.tiller@hamptonschool.org.uk.
MUN
Fantastic to hear that some of our Second Years are getting involved in Model United Nations, which gives Hamptonians from across the year groups an opportunity to debate the key issues of the day. Last weekend saw our neighbours host LEH MUN 2025 and an opportunity for Charlie F and Nicholas S to get a taste of what MUN is all about. MUN is the perfect club for pupils who like geopolitics and debating. Go and find out more!
Woodwind Concert
Great to see some of our musicians treading the boards of the Hammond Theatre stage at this week’s Woodwind Concert. Well done to Duncan C (2J), William M (2P) and Jayen L (2B).
Holocaust Memorial Day
Earlier on this week, it was Holocaust Memorial Day – a time to reflect and help improve worldwide antisemitism. The Holocaust was one of the most unimaginable crimes in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated six million Jews. Its roots lie in the hatred and prejudice shown towards the Jewish community (which is now known as antisemitism), something which Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party used as propaganda to delude German people in the aftermath of WW1. In this false view, Jews were an “alien race” that fed off the host nation, poisoned its culture, seized its economy, and enslaved its workers and farmers. The Nazis claimed that “race mixing” through marriage weakened Germany. By 1942, the Nazis had planned something they called ‘the Final Solution’. This saw Jewish people gassed in large numbers at concentration camps. It was a deliberately planned act of genocide, an attempt to eradicate an entire population. However, the Nazis didn’t stop there. They also murdered quarter of a million people with mental and physical disabilities, as well as sterilising deaf people and having members of the gay community imprisoned. Last, but not least, the main purpose behind the Holocaust Memorial Day is to say loud and clear, that antisemitism [or any other sort of racial discrimination] will not be tolerated.
‘Never Again’
By Riyaan G (2B)
Lunar New Year
Waking up on Chinese Lunar New Year 2025, I felt a rush of excitement knowing that the long-awaited day had finally arrived. The morning started with a delicious breakfast filled with traditional Chinese dishes, including freshly steamed stuffed buns bursting with flavourful fillings. Despite the festive atmosphere, I had to go to school as usual. However, the thought of the celebrations awaiting me at home kept me energised throughout the day. When the final bell rang, I hurried onto the coach, eager to return home. As soon as I stepped off, the rich aroma of festive dishes wafted through the air, guiding me home with anticipation. Though the mouthwatering scents tempted me, I quickly completed my schoolwork first. But before I could indulge in the grand meal, I faced a nerve-wracking moment—reading my report card. Sitting at the table with my family, I anxiously scanned through my teachers’ comments. To my delight, my results were excellent, which made the occasion even more special.
With the tension behind me, we finally began our long-anticipated feast. The dining table was filled with a stunning array of dishes, with dumplings taking centre stage—each one packed with different fillings, from egg and vegetables to meat and prawn. A beautifully roasted crispy-skin chicken sat beside them, its golden skin glistening. My uncle skilfully carved a cucumber into the shape of a snake in honour of the Year of the Snake, a sight that amazed me. Seafood was abundant, including fresh fish, salmon, and small red lobsters. My favourite was the fish, as my mother reminded me of the saying 年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú), symbolising prosperity and abundance in the new year. As we enjoyed the flavours of the meal, we watched a playback of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, where famous Chinese singers performed on stage. This year’s highlight was the inclusion of robots dancing alongside the performers, an impressive and futuristic touch to the annual tradition. The night was filled with laughter, warmth, and the joy of celebrating the new year with loved ones.
By Liangxu Z (2H)
Book Review
Jack Reacher by Lee Child
Jack Reacher is an extremely good book series with more than 20 books in the series. Its audience is intended for both adults and older children. The Sentinel is an action-packed book. If I have to describe it in a short phrase, I would say it is like Sherlock Holmes but with someone who both investigates and catches the crook himself. Reacher is a fighter (he rarely fires a gun even though he has one in his hands) and a retired MP (military police) Major that always finds trouble. He is drifter even though he has lots of money and chooses to go wherever he wants. The book The Sentinel mainly focuses on cyberattacks and computers, so it is a great book for people who loves computer and action books.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Sentinel is a cyber security program in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory which protects the integrity of the election system software in 48 states. Its official name is project C02WW06BHH21. The Russians are trying to get a copy and have an agent in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. They need to steal it to seed discord and mayhem and make the public lose faith in the election system. Only Jack Reacher can stop them. In a town in Tennessee, a man called Rusty Rutherford manages to half stop the ransomware attack, preventing the digital archives from destruction. This would prove him to be in grave danger as the archive could expose who the Russian agent was. The Russians decided to track down Rutherford and destroy the digital archive. Rutherford doesn’t know. But Reacher does.
By Ian L (2F)
Baby of the Week!
We’re back again with a new baby of the week – this baby is a member of the Second Year team, but from next week we’ll be expanding to other teachers in the School! Who could it be?
Whiteboard cartoon of the week
Take a look at the latest cartoon which comes to us from Ethan C (2L):
Bugsy Malone
There’s less than two weeks to go to this year’s Junior Musical Bugsy Malone and tickets are selling like hot cakes!
Tickets can be booked here. Don’t miss out!
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 questions and enter your answers here.
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
- Who won the First Leg of Tottenham and Liverpool? Tottenham
- What National Team won the 2023 Rugby World Cup? South Africa
- How many different scorers where there in the Football World Cup Final 2022? Three
- Who are top of the Premier League right now? Liverpool
- Who signed for Newcastle for 40 million in the summer from Chelsea? Lewis Hall
Well done to Ruaan V, William P, Noriki W, Ian L, Emile S and Ilakian D for correctly answering all questions correctly!
