Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
What a week to round off a very busy – and very soggy – half term! Today was mufti day, and it was wonderful to see so many colourful outfits brightening up the corridors despite the February drizzle. A huge thank you to everyone who donated so generously to our collection for Feltham Foodbank; your kindness will make a real difference to families in our local community.
Thursday lunchtime saw the Sports Hall buzzing with excitement as Interform Rowing took centre stage. The energy was electric, the competition fierce, and the rowing machines definitely earned their keep. A particularly special shoutout goes to Rohan G (2J), who stunned everyone by rowing to first place solo while other Forms rotated full teams of five or more. The rowing coaches were blown away and are already eagerly anticipating the influx of new talent when Second Years take to the river for the first time in Games during the summer term!
We were also treated to a fantastic Talk! this week from none other than Jon Varney, CEO of Brentford FC, who spoke about his journey from plumbing to Premier League leadership. Opportunities like these are such a highlight of School life, and it’s been wonderful to see so many boys engaging thoughtfully and enthusiastically.
Sadly, this is my last blog as your editor‑in‑chief. It has been such a joy to shape, polish, and celebrate all the wonderful things the Second Years have done each week. Nevertheless, the time has come to pass the baton to Miss Tiller, who I know will do a fantastic job. I’ll still be following along eagerly, and I look forward to cheering you all on from the sidelines.
Last but not least, after a brilliantly busy six weeks, I’d like to wish everyone a restful, relaxing, and rain‑free (we can dream!) half term break. You’ve earned it!
Merit Milestones
Another bumper week for merits! A big shout out to the following Second Year Hamptonians:
Oliver Hare – 10
Stefan Tzekov – 10
Stefan Tzekov – 20
Ethan Chow – 20
David Mitchell – 20
Harri Chapman – 20
Henry Raggett – 20
Stefan Tzekov – 30
Jake Lee – 30
Milo Batra – 30
Arhaan Khan – 30
Luke Bennett – 30
Jonah Miles – 30
Ethan Chow – 30
Emre Kozan – 30
Arjun Dudhe – 30
Daniel Sharipov – 30
Vivaan Keerthy – 30
Ali Eisenstein – 30
Milo Batra – 40
Rahul Prabhudesai – 40
Kamran Cathcart – 40
Luke Whyte – 40
Luca Dhaliwal – 40
Rohan Ghugari – 40
Ethan Chow – 40
Ethan Chow – 50 (Ethan’s been hiding his merits!)
Ethan Chow – 60 (Fantastic!)
Joshan Kalsi – 60 (Well done!)
Ethan Chow – 70 (Super!)
Ethan Chow – 80 (Fabulous!)
Ryan Arami – 80 (Amazing!)
Ethan Chow – 90 (Wow!)
Tutor Question of the Week
Each week we like to poll the Second Years and their tutors on a different hot topic. This week’s question comes from Ediz Y (2L):
Would you rather be always wearing:
- Ski boots on your feet that you can’t remove – Miss Holt, Miss Tiller, Mr Hill, 2H (tie!), 2W (tie!)
- Oven mitts on your hands that you can’t remove – Mrs Owen, Miss Winstock, 2H (tie!), 2W (tie!)
Bee‑hind the Scenes at the Brentford Talk!
This week, I attended the Talk! from Jon Varney (the CEO of Brentford FC). As a Brentford fan, I was excited to attend and was looking forward to it. I found his story of how he rose to become the CEO of Brentford fascinating and inspiring. He was a local fan of Brentford and attended many of their matches as a child. During secondary school, he focused much more on the co-curricular side of school and left secondary school without many options.
His first job was as a plumber, and I found it interesting how he rose through new jobs. He soon realised that plumbing wasn’t for him, and he looked for a new job. A job soon opened up in sales for football tickets, and Jon Varney decided to try it out. After getting the job, he soon looked for another one, and after a few more roles, Varney became a salesman for rugby just as England won the World Cup. Despite being lucky with the timing, it was Varney’s courage to have a go that amazed me. From there, he worked with many sides such as Brazil, until he eventually became CEO of Brentford.
In his position at Brentford, he saw them through their rise from the Championship to the Premier League, after they lost in the final to Fulham. They currently stand 7th in the table. Brentford FC is built on support and togetherness, two very respectable values, and it is only by combining the talents of the whole club that they have risen to where they are. Despite being quite a poor club, through wise scouts and by developing young players, the club has reached high standards. At the forefront of this is Varney’s sharp mind, and the support he receives from his friends.
By Thomas D‑L (2B)
If you didn’t know already, a big Premier League CEO came in on the second half of Tuesday lunchtime and gave a Talk! It was the Brentford CEO, Jon Varney. He has helped and played a part in Brentford’s success over the past few years, especially this one, as Brentford currently sit 7th in the Premier League table.
He went to Teddington School and grew up a huge fan of the Bees. He claimed that he wasn’t the smartest academically, and it was hard to decide what he wanted to do in life. He became a plumber and then worked at Richmond, selling tickets and then directing. He then took a huge step up in his career by working with Brazil, with the likes of David Luiz and Neymar Jr. But something unexpected occurred next. He was wanted by some big clubs, such as the team he supported, Brentford, so unsurprisingly, he became the Brentford CEO. He played a part in making them a very tough team to beat and compete against amongst the likes of Man Utd and Arsenal. He has also helped the Bees develop young talents into world‑class players and then sell them for huge profits, which is massive as they don’t have the financial funds to compete against clubs such as Newcastle. I personally enjoyed this Talk! a lot and would recommend talks like this in the future.
By Zachariah A (2W)
Net‑Gains for Hampton
On Monday, I was extremely lucky to play in the badminton match against Isleworth and Syon School. The badminton match was such a fun and exciting experience for all of us. From the moment we arrived at the Sports Hall, we could tell they were going to be a really strong team. We were split into six pairs, and each pair started playing against one of their pairs. Every match was competitive, and both teams had many chances to earn points. The games were quite close, which made them even more intense and enjoyable. There were lots of long rallies that kept everyone on their toes. Our opponents showed great skill, teamwork, and determination throughout the matches. Even when we were winning, we knew we could not relax because they were always catching up. The atmosphere was positive and full of energy, with everyone cheering each other on. Overall, it was a brilliant match that tested our abilities and brought our team closer together.
I played with my teammate, and we worked well together from the start. We communicated clearly and encouraged each other after every point. Even though Isleworth and Syon were a very strong team, we stayed focused and confident. Each of our matches was challenging, and we had to fight hard for every win. The scores were quite close at times, which made the victories feel even more rewarding. We made sure to stay calm under pressure and use smart tactics. Luckily, we managed to win every match we played, which made us happy and proud of ourselves. It felt amazing to know that our hard work in training had paid off. At the end of the day, we congratulated the other team because they played so well. It was an unforgettable experience and one of the most enjoyable matches I have been part of.
By Moksha K (2B)
On Monday, the Second Year badminton A team went to the Sports Hall to compete in a tournament against Isleworth School. The Hampton A team was split into an A team and a B team, in which the Hampton A and B teams would play doubles matches against the A and B teams for Isleworth. The competition was fierce, and lots of sportsmanlike behaviour was shown from both sides; however, the Hampton side were victorious and won the majority of the matches in both A and B team fixtures.
My doubles partner, Armaan K (2P), and I won the first match by the skin of our teeth, 15–14. We then went on to win the next match again by 15–14 but failed to win all our doubles games, as we lost the final match 13–15, which was disappointing, but we knew we did our best. Then there was a separate tournament for singles. I placed 8th; however, Yakub A (2P) smashed the competition and claimed victory.
Overall, the day was a great experience, and well done to all the players for Hampton and Isleworth alike.
By Nicholas R (2P)
Staycation Sensations!
Too many people think that a holiday means going overseas to the beach in the Caribbean, drinking mocktails and sleeping under the shade of palm trees. Or, a holiday is travelling to the Alps in snowy Switzerland, skiing down white snow slopes and mountains, drinking hot chocolate to warm up.
This is not the case.
Here in the United Kingdom, there are many places to go. A road trip, or maybe just staying in hotels away from home. From the beauty of the Lake District to the peaceful, rolling hills of Wales, there is no shortage of places to be. I myself am going, over the half term, to a golf resort not far from Stratford-upon Avon, the town where Shakespeare was born. The UK has no shortage of cultural heritage just waiting to be discovered by curious minds like you or me. So, fellow Hamptonians, try something new this half term. You might be surprised by what you see!
By Daniel S (2W)
Faithful Fails and Traitor Tales
This week my form, 2G, have been trying to play the game Traitors, you know, the one from the BBC, and so far, it’s been going, well, horribly in my opinion. If you haven’t watched Traitors, I’ll explain the rules. Basically, you have two groups of people: the Faithful and the Traitors. The Faithful try to work out who the Traitors are, as well as doing missions to earn rewards. These rewards are the dagger, which can be used to double your vote, and the shield, which can save you from “murder”. The Traitors are a three‑person team who must “murder” people and avoid being voted out to win – not actual murder though! After each round, everyone must vote out someone who is suspicious to them. Each person only gets one vote, unless they have a dagger. If you’re voted out you’re banished and out of the game. However, just like in Season 4, we had a twist – the secret Traitor! Their role was to create a list of people for the Traitors to “kill”. No one, not even the Traitors, knows who they are.
Attempt one began like any other Traitors game: interrogations, awkward situations, and missions galore, until the riddles began. It all began after the mission ended when someone said no Traitors were at his area in the mission. That meant that we now knew who the Traitors were, so that spoiled the entire thing. Attempt two was so much worse – we didn’t even get to the mission before someone ruined it by telling everyone they knew who the Traitors were. Attempt three was not great either; someone said they were the Traitor by accident, and then spoiled it, so we just decided to give up that attempt.
Now on the fourth try, I hope that it’ll be better this time!
By Frankie D (2G)
Mallets, Mayhem, and Midweek Fun
This week I participated in a highly underrated club: croquet! It is on Tuesday, second period of lunchtime, on the patch of grass next to the MUGA, and you can just walk in, and the instructor will set up the course or pair you with an already‑started game, so you can even arrive a bit late. The course consists of six hoops: four of which are in a square formation, the other two in a row in the centre, and lastly a pole in between the two middle hoops. You start at any of the hoops and have to go in a clockwise motion around the outer four hoops. You then go through the middle two hoops, and the first to then hit the pole in the centre wins! I never knew croquet was such a fun game until a friend showed it to me, and I have gone every Tuesday that wasn’t cancelled since. Please do try to come, though not everyone, because it is quite nice not being really crowded!
By Theo G (2J)
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 quiz questions come to us from Arvin M (2F). Why don’t you have a go and enter your answers here:
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
- What year did the Berlin Wall fall? 1989
- What is the capital city of Australia? Canberra
- Which animal has three hearts? Octopus
- What is the strongest muscle in the human body? Jaw muscle or masseter
- What country has the most islands? Sweden
Well done to the following Second Year Hamptonians who answered everything correctly – Akshaj A, Raff O’C-Z, Diego C-G, Finn G, Jack W, Joshin F, Nico L, Jesse G, Reyansh K, Ralph L, Oliver J, Ansh R, Lucas O’C and Rahim K.
If you’re keen to write some general knowledge questions for the Blog, please email b.tiller@hamptonschool.org.uk.
