Welcome to the First Year Blog!
The week ended with two exciting Interform competitions: Chess and Rugby/Football. Well done to everyone who took to the chess board or the sports field.
The results of the Interform Chess competition are in – it was an extremely tight competition and a very well done to all of the First Years who participated and watched. Congratulations to 1F! Come back next week for the Rugby and Football results.
| Place | Form |
| 1 | 1F |
| 2 | 1L |
| 3 | 1J |
| 4 | 1P |
| 5 | 1G |
| 6 | 1W |
| 7 | 1B and 1H |
The First Year Readathon launches on Monday and I encourage you to gather some generous sponsors over the weekend from family, friends and neighbours. The money you raise from reading books will help our three Form Charities: Shooting Star, the Alzheimer’s Society and UNICEF. Remember to have your novel handy as you’ll be reading in Registrations all this week as well as your Reading Period (of course!). With the holiday ahead, I think you can aim for at least four books, don’t you?
It is also Neurodiversity Week and cute blue butterfly stickers appeared in various corners of the School as reminders of our need to celebrate and be supportive of our neurodiverse pupil and staff body.
The Hammond Theatre was full of Hamptonians, LEH pupils and parents for the final Talk! of the term on the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday and we have a review in today’s Blog. We also have some interesting reports on Music and Latin competitions.
Remember to bring non-perishable food and toiletries next Friday for the Feltham Food Bank collection – there will be tables set out at the front of the School where you can leave your donations.
One more week to go, chaps! Put your best foot forward for the last week of the spring term.
Talk!
On Tuesday I went to the London Stock Exchange talk, which was hosted by Lauren Crawley-Moore. I learned that the London Stock Exchange dates back to 1697 and as a result it is one of the oldest stock exchanges in the world. Up until 1986, the London Stock Exchange was held in person, but now it is digital and not in person. Over the last couple of years, the Market has seen highs and lows such as in Covid, after Brexit and when the War between Ukraine and Russia started. However, after Brexit and Covid, the Stock Market went right back up to two of its all time highs resulting in two of the best years for the London Stock Exchange Market.
By Ali E (1J)
Pro Corda Chamber Music Festival
On Sunday, myself on violin and two other Hamptonians, Louis C on cello (Third Year) and David T (Second Year) on piano, headed very early to Woldingham School in Surrey for the final of the National Pro Corda Chamber Music Competition. This is an annual festival that hundreds of school children who play Chamber Music enter.
We have been practising as a trio for many months on a piece – Reinecke. In February, chamber groups from Hampton School travelled to Epsom College by coach for round one. My trio and two other groups were so excited to hear that we had progressed to the semi-finals a few weeks later at Caterham School. Days later and with lots of nail biting, we then learnt that our trio had made it to the final. We were so proud as the standard was very high and we were the first Hampton group to make the National Pro Corda Chamber Group finals.
Finals day was so inspiring. The music hall was full of so many outstanding musicians. We were in the first section and the finals ran all day. After a short rehearsal, we entered the stage and did our best. I tried to forget my nerves and just play my best with the cello and piano. The judges then feedback and we had some positive comments and a couple of development points. It was nice to have an audience this time. The main adjudicator, Andrew Quartermaine, told us that we were all winners by just making the final, so I was really pleased to hear that. We are now looking forward to our next piece together.
Fantastic to read about your experience Raff, and a big well done to the trio – making the final is a first in Hampton’s history!
By Raff O-Z (1W)
Club of the Week
Tennis
Tennis Club is a great place to go if you are free on a Tuesday or Thursday as at this time of year, it is great fun to go out and play tennis in the nice weather that it has been for the past few weeks. We have great tennis coaches who help you to improve your tennis skills but it is also just a place to play some relaxed tennis. It’s also great to learn a new sport and it’s great to socialise with the people that play there. Personally, I have made many friends with people in higher years than me and I have made friends with people in First Year too so it is overall a happy experience.
By Filippos M (1H)
Latin Competition
Last Thursday, I had an exhilarating experience of going to St Catherine’s School in Bramley, Guildford to perform a spectacular play in Latin with a few other boys in First Year – Ansh R, Hayk F, Kiyan J, Aayushmaan C, Edward J, Isaac L and Yuvan M.
Ever since entering the doors of Hampton on my first week, I was enticed by how much history and learning that Latin managed to offer, and that blew my mind. I loved the new language I was learning and earlier this month we could display the outstanding combination of both Latin and Drama.
Seven First Years did a play based on the story Little Red Riding Hood. I was the malicious wolf whose plan was to eat Little Red Riding Hood, or in Latin, Palla Rubra. Little Red Riding Hood met a rabbit, a hunter and a bee, all telling her the wolf was a ferocious beast who will eat her up. Commenting on the wolf’s bizarre appearance, Little Red Riding Hood talked about, ‘O avia, quam magnas aures habes!’ (what big ears you have !) to which I promptly lashed out in an incandescence of rage. Then the real grandmother jumped out and shouted stop.
I felt both excited and nervous when I walked on stage, but that turned to astonishment when one of people from the delegation announced we were the best secondary school in the Junior Latin Play and we came second place! To add to our our excitement, we got book vouchers as a prize. That day was certainly a game changer for me – it helped me engage with more people within First Year and also develop a bigger interest in a newfound language.
By Reyansh K (1L)
No Limits Lessons
For No Limits Day, 1J had English where we learnt all about languages and how all languages are connected, such as in English, we take some words from Hindi, some from French and others from all round the world. In our Spanish lesson we decoded a Spanish poem and entered our translations into a competition called the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators. Overall, the day was really fun and 1J enjoyed it very much.
By Xavier (1J)
Shout OUT!
Nico A-G (1F) played at the Ultimate Frisbee Indoor Nationals tournament last week with his club, Epsom Eagles. Nico’s team won silver in the U14 Open category against very strong opposition from all corners of the UK, which is a great achievement.
Tutee of the Week
Every week, the First Year Tutor team nominate a boy 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 Aayushmaan C (1L) on being named this week’s Tutee of the Week.
Aayushmaan has displayed plenty of Hampton values as he helps others, has learnt excellent tolerance and patience over the past weeks and has pushed himself out of his comfort zone by auditioning for the drama play – well done Aayushmaan!
Food Bank Collection
Please support our Feltham Food Bank on Friday 28 March. They are particularly in need of cooking oil, instant coffee, sugar, vegetable noodles, tinned meat, tinned fruit and vegetables, dried lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans. Please bring your donations to the front of School from 8.15am. Thank you!
Neurodiversity Week
This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week. It’s when people all over the country are encouraged to think about and celebrate neurodiversity, as well as challenge stereotypes people might have about it. There are plenty of resources available, so why not take a look here and find out more!
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! Points for the interform competition will be awarded to the Form with the most correct entries over the course of the term! 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 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: Our U15A footballers made it all the way to the ISFA national final last week, in which team’s stadium was the final played?
The correct answer was the Pirelli Stadium which is the home ground of Burton Albion FC!
Well done to the following First Years for getting the correct answer: Ashutosh S, Nico A-G, Jack W, Raff O’C-Z, Moksha K, Jonathan G, Smyan M, Lucas F, Kamran C, Alexander B, Edward R, Rahim K, Noah L, Tom C, Armaan K, Rayan A, Ojas P, Hayk F, Theo R, Emre K, Henry M, Oliver J, Arhaan K, Harri C, Daniel S, Isaac L, William J, Max K, Kyle O, Diego C-G, Arthur H and Aryan T. Make sure you collect a merit from your Form Tutor next week!
If you did know the answer but didn’t enter it into the blog last week, make sure you do so this week as it won’t count otherwise!
This week’s challenge:
How many steps do you have to walk up from the ground floor to get to the Classrooms in the RS Department?
