Welcome to the First Year Blog!
Three weeks to go, and the pace is picking up nicely. The start of the final half term has been full of energy, from early‑morning nerves on the athletics track to some serious mud‑covered determination in Dorset. Elsewhere, minds have been stretched in the Junior Maths Kangaroo, and our First Years have been exploring new perspectives on their RS trip, taking in everything from intricate mandir architecture to the generosity of langar.
There has been plenty of action at both ends of the spectrum. Some boys were chasing hundredths of a second on the track, while others were trying not to lose their shoes in a mud pool. Whether it was a sprint finish, a sticky situation, or a leap of faith, it is clear that First Year is still delivering memorable moments right to the very end.
With the final few weeks ahead, there is still plenty to enjoy, take part in, and look forward to. For now, sit back and enjoy this week’s blog, which certainly doesn’t disappoint.
LION PRINT
The Lion Print is a brilliant publication that collects the creative writing of Hamptonians, combines it with the art of Hamptonians and pulls it together into a beautiful book. It’s a highlight of the year and a real showcase for the creativity of the boys at the School.
The deadline for this year’s book is next Friday 19 June.
All you need to do is send your creative writing (or your art) to Mrs Pickford Scienti (R.PickfordScienti@hamptonschool.org.uk). Make sure you put ‘Lion Print Submission’ as the title of your email! If you are sending art, please ensure that the image is clear and of a high enough resolution to reproduce effectively.
It could be anything you have created (as long as you haven’t used AI!).
- It could be a poem.
- It could be a story.
- It could be a description.
- It can be any piece of art that you’ve created.
- It could be a particularly strong piece of work for your Reading Scheme.
- It could be something you have written that has won a competition.
All in all, it’s a great opportunity to showcase what you are capable of, so get submitting! It is, of course, worth saying that just submitting something isn’t a guarantee of being published – there is a process of selection! But, if you want the opportunity for your work to appear, now is the time to either send it through, or to create something that could be submitted. What a task for the weekend!
TEMPLES AND TRADITIONS, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY
This Tuesday, I went on a Religious Studies Trip along with three other forms to the Mandir in Neasden and the Gurdwara in Southall, both key places of worship in the local community. A particular highlight was seeing the many richly decorated halls and rooms of the gurdwara. For example, we sat down inside the diwan hall, which housed the Sikh holy book – the Guru Granth Sahib.
We also experienced langar during lunchtime, which is translates to ‘free kitchen.’ It is a service offering free food to the public, no matter their background. We had a delicious chickpea curry with flatbread on the day. Finally, later in the afternoon, a volunteer from the community spoke to us about Sikhism and its core philosophies, as well as answering any questions we had in general.
Overall, I enjoyed the trip a lot, because of the opportunity to ask questions to an actual practitioner of the religion and see firsthand the details of various ceremonies and rituals.
By Hiu Yeung K (1P)
On Tuesday, the First Years went on an exciting RS trip to two different places of worship: The Southall Gurdwara Temple and the Neasden Mandir
The Mandir was so fun. As soon as we went in, we were asked to take off our shoes as a sign of respect and cleanliness and went into a big hall where we watched an educational video on the architecture of the temple being built by volunteers. They used ancient Hindu texts and carved stone (over 26000 pieces!) It was funded by donations and the Hindu community and taking just two and a half years to build. After that we went into a special room where at 11.45am a special prayer ceremony was taking place – we all had to be quiet and respectful – and it went on for around 10 minutes (a unique experience I will not forget). The leaders of the ceremony held a candle and waved it gently around to offer light to the deities and dressed in orange to show a new day and a fresh start because if you look out a window in the early morning, the colour you see is orange from the sun gently peeping over the horizon.
Next, we exited the temple to our coaches and made our journey to the next landmark – the Southall Gurdwara. When we arrived, we repeated taking our shoes off and carefully put them on a shoe rack. After having an exciting first half of our day we were all starving, so we were given a special meal made by volunteers in the church called langar. Volunteers make this meal for everyone who is hungry, not just people who are Sikhs, and all the meals are free so anyone can go in and eat. We sat on carpets as a sign to show that we are all equal. After finishing, we went to watch a sermon spoken in Punjabi which was very relaxing. Then we had a ‘Q and A’ with a very nice member of the temple. Two things that stuck with me were ‘F A M I L Y’ means ‘Father And Mother I Love You’ – saying that all parents ask for in return is love, and that God hates ego, that you must be humble and kind to everyone because we are all God’s children on Earth and so we must love each other like family. I really enjoyed this trip, and I am excited for many more to come as my first year comes to an end.
By Ted D (1L)
KANGAROO CONUNDRUMS
This Tuesday, I was invited to the JMK (Junior Maths Kangaroo) – the second round of the Junior Maths Challenge. It took place at 3pm to 4pm. The test layout was similar to the original challenge – 25 multiple choice questions in an hour. We did the test in the Hammond Theatre, and there were long rows and columns of single seats. Once I had found my seat and read the instructions, we were told to start.
The questions were increasingly difficult, and I had to skip a question and come back to it at the end. Despite that, I finished all the questions without making any guesses, so I think there is a reasonable chance that I will get full marks. Since the test continued after 4pm, I decided to leave 7 minutes early. I gave in my paper and worked my way through the seats till I reached the exit. After the test, I was very pleased with how smoothly it went. Now I am waiting for my results, and I am expecting them in a week or two. I really hope I got Gold Kangaroo, the highest you could get in this test. Hopefully everyone else did well too. I then went to kickboxing, kicking (in controlled sparring) like a kangaroo!
By Aahil U (1G)
TRACK TRIUMPH
This week, I am going to be talking about my experience at the St Mary’s athletics borough championships last Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, people from all years came to school early to compete in the St Mary’s championships. Setting off in the minibuses, many couldn’t control the nerves for the upcoming races. I was competing in the 100m race, and I was a mixture of excited and nervous to participate in my event. When we arrived, luckily, it was sunny, and there were many schools that had set up their gazebos.
Watching the others do their hurdle races and 1500m, multiple Hampton athletes qualified for the final of their event, which was good to see. As my first 100m race was the 25th race, I had a while to warm up and get ready for a challenging race. Fifteen minutes prior to my race, I already had my spikes on, stretched my hamstrings and I couldn’t wait to compete.
Soon enough, I found myself at the starting line, hearing the “ON YOUR MARKS, SET…… GO!!” with enough adrenaline, I burst off the finish line. I looked at nothing but the finish line during the race. For nearly the whole race, I stayed in the lead of the other competitors. As I ran, I could hear the people on the sides shouting, and the stomping of the other racers behind me. Finally, in the last 20 metres, I found another racer (from Grey Court) close by in the corner of my eye. Tensing up my legs, I powered through the last bit and achieved first place! This was good news as I also beat my PR (personal record).
Knowing that I had qualified, I could not hold back the nerves for the upcoming final. After having lunch, eating a few snacks, and warming back up, and watching a few more other races, I put my spikes back on. Ready for the finals. “GO!!”, I burst off the line again. Knowing that the same competitor who got second on the last race had qualified for this one, I had to run faster than I ran in the last race. Throughout most of the race (0 – 90m), I powered onwards and kept my lead. Suddenly, in the last 10m, I noticed the other Grey Court runner was close behind me.
Passing the finish line at nearly the same time, the other athlete and I had a close race. Which place did I come? Who won? This was up to the reviewers who were at the end of the race. While they announced the scores, I heard them say “first place, 12.71, second place, 12.98”. I was very eager to know who got those times and if I came first. Replaying the footage, the judges noticed that my chest was behind the line before, meaning that I came first! I was very happy that I won the Borough 100m final, especially because I exactly matched the time of my last qualification race.
After having some more snacks, talking to others, watching the races and relaxing under the gazebo in the sun, I enjoyed the time I had left before we did the relay race. During the relay, Hampton came second, because of some dodgy hand overs. However, I am still happy that I managed to win the 100m Borough final.
By Owen S-W (1L)
MUDDY MADNESS
Over half term, 29 First Years went on an Adventure Society Trip to Dorset. The trip started off with a fun and informative night walk to Corfe Castle. The next day we plunged into outdoor activities and took on the high ropes course. My favourite was the ‘leap of faith’. In the afternoon we rowed to Brownsea Island and we competed to see who would get there first. When we got there, we had a great time splashing around in the shallows before another tiring but enjoyable row back. We ended the day with a campfire and a delicious hot chocolate. What a way to end the day! Finally, on Sunday, we took on the famous mud run – everyone was covered head to toe in mud. I loved going down the mud slides and trekking through the boggy terrain. In conclusion, I had a great time in Dorset and I would certainly to do it again!
By Edward G (1J)
WORLD CUP FEVER
This week, I wanted to write about the upcoming World Cup, which started yesterday with Mexico defeating South Africa 2-0.
The World Cup, is a memorable event in the football world, taking place every four years. Teams from across the world come and play to lift the $15 billion FIFA world cup trophy and bring it home. This iconic event is watched by around 5 billion people all over the world, on TV or in stadiums. The venue of the event is decided by the head of FIFA, who determines this by a ballot draw. Whoever’s country is picked out of the ballot, gets to host the World Cup. This year, it turned out to be the USA, Canada and Mexico. In 2030, Morocco, Portugal and Spain will be hosting it. However, at the 2030 World Cup, the first match will be played in Uruguay, as that was where the first World Cup match took place, back in 1930. The World Cup stopped for WW2 but resumed in 1948.
In my opinion, I am rooting for England to lift the trophy and bring it home, but there are big chances that teams like Spain and France will win. The World Cup is full of surprises, and shocks, so you can never be sure of who will win. That is one reason I like the World Cup.
By Avirat P (1H)
TUTEE OF THE WEEK
Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a Hamptonian who they have been particularly impressed with and Mr Hill and Mr Fuldner present him with a certificate and a tasty treat to eat!
Congratulations to Arthur S (1F) on being named this week’s Tutee of the Week.
Arthur always throws himself into everything Hampton has to offer, from academics to extracuriculars, showing kindness and consideration to others. Well done Arthur!
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS!
We love to hear about what you have been getting up to outside of school and to celebrate your successes in the First Year Blog! Please do send any information about any of your achievements through to Mr Jimenez (v.jimenez@hamptonschool.org.uk).
THE HAMPTON HUNT
Each week I will set you a challenge where you need to find out a random fact, number or indeed anything else around the School – you won’t be able to do this from home! You have until the end of Wednesday to complete the challenge; you will find out in next week’s blog if you’re correct, and you will be given a LION merit by your Form Tutor the following Monday. And who knows – you might get to know the School better in the process!
Last week’s challenge: What is the School’s motto?
The answer is ‘Praestat Opes Sapientia’. Big shout out to Hiu Yeung K, Jacob B, Sam P, Arthur B P, Evaan P, Alex B, Aditya S, Ted D, Guy H, Julian H, Avyan A, Alex W, Ronak B, Arjun A, Al M, Cyrus T, Youvi U, Elias R, Kevin W, Morgan K, Edin H, Ethan V, Nicholas M, Armaan A, Owen S W, Arav B and George U.
This week’s challenge:
Where would you find this iconic piece of art?
