Welcome to the First Year Blog!
It’s been a busy and brilliant start to October for our First Years. With a full month of Hampton life now under their belts, they’ve been diving into clubs, succeeding in their sports and music, as well as exploring new ways of learning during our No Limits Lessons Day today – a chance for teachers to shake things up and try something different in the classroom.
This week, 1B, 1L, 1P and 1W ventured out on the Geography Trip to the South Downs, where they pebbled together knowledge and fresh air in equal measure. Next week promises even more adventure with visits to Windsor Castle for History and another South Downs trip for the remaining forms. Don’t forget to check your kit list and the weather forecast – soggy socks are never fun!
We’re also looking forward to welcoming parents to the Pastoral Forum next Thursday evening. As the days get shorter, make sure you’re getting plenty of rest so you can keep making the most of everything Hampton has to offer.
See you on Wednesday at break in F10 for Blog Club!
HIKE, HILL, AND HAMPTON THRILL AT THE SOUTH DOWNS
This week, I would like to share my experience of the Geography Trip. Before I continue, I would like to thank Mr Hill (one of our Heads of Year) along with the many staff that made the visit more enjoyable.
For me, the fun started off as we went on an exhausting, but fun hike up a narrow, stony path. One thing I loved, was the work and effort that we had to put in to hike and reach the top, where we got to see some fabulous views. After having our snacks, we learnt some interesting facts about how the place came around, the creation of chalk on the hill and the process of a hill or mountain’s creation – it was a great opportunity to learn a new thing or two!
At one point, we had to walk through a group of sleeping cows, and we had to be silent and not make eye contact so that they don’t get angry or scared! After a nice and tasty packed lunch, which was provided by Hampton, we moved on and explored a place called Devil’s Dyke, which as a fact is Britain’s longest, widest, and deepest chalk valley. It also has an interesting history linked to the Ice Age and Victorian times. Once more, I would like to thank all the teachers for taking the First Years on such a fantastic trip.
By Owen S-W (1L)
On a foggy Thursday morning, we all hopped on the bus to go to South Downs. One of the 15 national parks, we were all buzzing. The coach journey zoomed by and before we knew it, we were already there. The sun had now come out to give us a wave, as it was beaming down. We took in the jaw-dropping view of the neighbouring town of Brighton and the incredible plains of land. Climbing up the hill was an amazing experience, our excited chatter brimming. We were told about this beautiful national park being the newest! With only a population of 175,000 and 45 million visitors every year, this bustling park sure is a popular one. Reaching halfway through our journey, we were approached by a herd of cows and cattle. They were all spread out, blocking the path! As we journeyed our way through the cattle (which was a daunting experience), we managed to reach the peak height above sea level: 217m. Coming to the end of this extravaganza of a trip, we had arrived a Devil’s Dyke; a valley but with no water. The truth was that the water had once flown beneath the grass and dirt. Although it doesn’t happen now, it is still quite a fun place to visit. As we walked up toward the coach we looked back at such an amazing trip, one to definitely remember.
By Pesandu W (1W)
The first three weeks of term have come and gone and now we are into the fourth week of excitement and action! It felt our bags were barely unpacked from Avon Tyrrell and we were already off on our second trip! This time, it was a walking trip in the beautiful South Downs National Park. The national park is huge at over 1600 km². The trip involved us looking at the geology of the area (made almost entirely of chalk), hiking up and down some of the hills in the incredible landscape, learning about the local towns and finding out what constitutes a national park. I really enjoyed the trip because it meant we got to experience what we have been learning in Geography up close, and we could look at both Human and Physical Geography in this beautiful area.
By Alex B (1B)
The trip to the South Downs was a really enjoyable one. Even the long coach journey didn’t ruin our excitement for what was about to come. When we finally arrived, we embarked on a seven kilometre walk across the fields. It was very tiring, but it was worth it. The views we had were beautiful. We could see green fields expanding everywhere. Along the way, we stopped to learn about the geology of the place. It turned out that we were standing on hills of chalk and other rocks. We also stopped halfway for lunch (my favourite part!) We rested for a while, then stood up for our next half of the journey. I really enjoyed the South Downs trip. I’m certain the I will go on many more amazing ones throughout my years at Hampton.
By Mingyuan D (1P)
ORGAN-ISED BRILLIANCE AT THE SCHOLAR’S CONCERT
As I walked into the Hammond Theatre, the air was buzzing with anticipation for what was about to come. I took a seat and waited. I was nervous. Even though I was performing in the second half, my anxiety couldn’t be soothed. Then, the lights dimmed, and the first musician stepped on to the stage. He was playing the viola. After his performance, the audience applauded, then the next player took his place and stepped into the spotlight.
One by one, everyone gave their recital. After listening to some music, my nerves eventually calmed. When it was my turn, I enjoyed it immensely. There was a vast range of instruments, about a dozen. There were instruments as small as the clarinet, and some were as large as the organ (which was what I played!) Some were from the West, some from the East. Some were classical, some were rock. It was immensely fun to see everyone playing and showing off their skills. My favourite was a piece called ‘Canon Rock’ performed by Yule O (4J) on the electric guitar.
The concert was for all the music scholars to show each other what they can do. There were twenty scholars, and all of them were hugely talented. It has an inclusive and supportive atmosphere. That’s my favourite thing about Hampton’s music. It’s “Seriously Excellent, Seriously Fun!” The concert was a massive success. I walked out of School, feeling a little weary, but my head was buzzing with thoughts about the events of what had just happened. I was (and still am) immensely excited about the New Pupils’ Concert. I hope for it to be just as successful as this concert!
By Mingyaun D (1P)
Recently, Hampton School hosted a Scholars’ Concert, where an intimate atmosphere of serene and skilful music filled the air. The event showcased the talents of the pupils, and the performance is highlighted on the School’s website. “It was an unforgettable experience”. At the Scholars’ Concert, I performed Indian Classical Sitar and was incredibly pleased with my playing. The evening was launched beautifully by Mr Roland’s welcoming speech at 7.00pm, setting a calm, focused tone for the music to come. It was a privilege to be on that stage.”
Each of the piece performed was a sweet aroma of music. As I waited for my turn, my nerves were blasting like a fire alarm and could only concentrate on how I was going to perform. My heart was racing to perform; like an F1 car racing the Grand Prix and sweat was drowning me with nerves. When my turn came, I stood up and my legs felt like they were going to give up on me. My hands were the titanic trembling ready to go down. When I sat down ready to play, my body felt like it was about to give up on me. But as I played my body was engaged in the music; I could not really care less who was watching. It felt like a breeze; like I had only played one note!
Reflecting on the Scholars’ Concert, my Sitar performance was deeply satisfying. The rest of the evening was a pure delight – each piece a soothing massage for the ears. It’s experiences like this that fuel my passion. I’m already looking forward to future opportunities to perform on the Hammond Theatre stage.
By Avirat P (1H)
Have a listen to some our amazing music scholars in the video below:
REID ALL ABOUT IT – TALK! WITH JIM REID
I hurriedly scrambled to the Hammond Theatre entrance after a hasty ten-minute lunch. The hallway and stairs were jammed with a horde of people, all attempting to clinch a front row seat. I managed to squeeze through the crowd and was able to get a decent seat. Once we had settled down from the chaos on the stairs, the first Talk! of the year began. The speaker was Jim Reid OH (1992), now Global Head of Macro and Thematic Research at Deutsche Bank.
Though, as a First Year I cannot claim to have understood everything he was saying, it was still fantastic to hear the insights of a world-renowned market analyst. I will definitely be attending the next Talk! and I can hardly wait!
By Hiu Yeung K (1P)
Last week, a very important man to modern finance came to Hampton School, Jim Reid, to showcase and talk about how to succeed in life and about global financial facts. It was also the first time I had ever seen the Hammond Theatre so packed! Boys from First Year all the way to Sixth Form came in to see it, as well as some teachers and parents. Mr Reid explained that in some countries there is more inflation and when kids like me grow up, we would have to pay more taxes. He had prepared multiple charts to show us all sorts of information. One example is the average work hours of someone in the UK is 33 hours per week and the cost of inflation has been increasing over the years. You may ask why Jim Reid would come to Hampton? The reason is that he used to go to Hampton School! Hampton is a big reason why he had such a successful career. I think going to the Talk! was a great idea and I would suggest going next time.
By Sheldon C (1G)
GOALS GALORE – FOOTBALL FRENZY
Excited yet nervous and apprehensive, I woke up in the early hours of Saturday morning. Today was a special day; it was my very first football away game representing Hampton. We all met at 7.45am prompt at the School – red eyed but ready to compete. With little fuss, we boarded the coach and set off across the city to Alleyn’s school.
After a dynamic warm up, the contest began. Within the first few minutes, we found our momentum and rhythm. On the left-hand side, my job was simple to deliver some assists to our striker. Playing a high-pressure game, we began to dominate. Capitalising on a loose pass, one of our players intercepted the ball and slotted the tap in to open the scorings. Nearing the end of the first half, one goal from both sides. The scoreboard read 2-1.
During halftime, Mr Boyes gave us some key advice: keep possession, trackback. Quickly, we scored another. And another. And another. And another. In the closing minutes, Alleyn’s managed to score a consolation goal. This led up to a win of 6-2. The journey home was a joyous one – our first away victory. This set up my wonderful weekend perfectly. Sweet!
By Sebastian F (1L)
Last Saturday, U12A, U12B, U12C, U12D, U12E and U12F teams went to Alleyn’s School to face them. On the way there our whole coach was very enthusiastic about the match and confident that we had victory in our hands. When we arrived, we quickly got changed into our boots and kicked off straight away. We were quick to score our first goal which was a good thing since that goal boosted our confident so much. We scored another straight after! Afterwards, the goals came one after another as if the opponent’s goal was welcoming the ball in.
I myself, was a left back, so I wasn’t able score any goals, but I was able to get in a few decent shots but unluckily they couldn’t find the target. After we ended the game us U12Ds won a smashing score of 9-0!
By Aiden K (1G)
On Saturday, the U12A-U12F teams arrived at Hampton to take the coach to Alleyn’s School to play our first away match. When I arrived, I made my way to the changing rooms and then met up with the U12F team. The U12A and the U12B teams were playing at the school, while the U12C-U12F teams were playing on the pitch opposite the school. Straight away, we got into a quick training session and the starting seven were selected. The pitch we were playing on was a slight slope and Hampton was starting at the top of the slope and the wind was against the opposition. We took the kick-off and in the first few minutes we started to dominate the game. As I was not starting, I was passing the ball near the sideline when I saw a penalty had been called in our favour. Storm R (1L) was going to take it. The next second, the ball was in the back of the net! Yet did we know that 14 goals were still to come. By the end of the first half, we were winning 11-0 with Storm (4 goals) and Aubin W (1G – 3 goals) as the main goal scorers. The next seven came on, but this half there was a slight twist: Zac K (1W), our goalkeeper who played in the first half went in goal for Alleyn’s to help them get a better outcome in the second half. We kicked off at the bottom of the slope and as Zac was in goal for Alleyn’s, the second half was more of a challenge. However, we still managed to score four goals. These included two goals from Ted D (1L), one goal from Mikaeel K (1J) and one from myself. The game ended 15-0! One of the highlights was when it was Alleyn’s turn to do three cheers to Hampton, but they thought we were called Surridge School due to the Surridge logo on our kit!
By Edin H (1G)
The U12Gs and U12Hs were playing Kingston Grammar School last Friday. I am in the U12Hs and this is the full report of what happened. We used a new tactic: an attacking formation – one goalie and the rest were all ready to go forward. Our formation really worked, topped up with teamwork and accuracy, we were all scoring goals! Most of the players in our team scored, and we helped the people who hadn’t by sending them forward and letting them score. All in all, another victory for Hampton. Hip hip hooray!
By Aahil U (1G)
Last Friday, our U12H football team faced Kingston Grammar School. As soon as we kicked off, the goals started coming – we were dominant in attack, and we scored in no time. Soon after, we scored the second. Then the third, then the fourth. We couldn’t stop scoring! After 50 minutes, 13 goals scored and two conceded, Mr Ritchie blew the final whistle. I was very happy with my performance, as I scored nine and assisted two, but Hampton’s teamwork was outstanding – I personally believe that we won because we had great chemistry.
By Nicholas M (1G)
BOOKED IN AND BUZZING
On a very different note, I would like to promote a club that I have been to and have thoroughly enjoyed. This club is Book Club! It is an incredibly friendly environment in which we recommend books to each other and read together. We were recently given a new book to read and discuss in our weekly meetings called ‘The Blue Book of Nebo’, which is an amazing book about a Welsh boy experiencing ‘the end of the world’. If you like reading, discussing books and Fruitella sweets, this is a club that I would really recommend to you. It is the second half of lunchtime on Wednesday in the Quiet Reading Section of the Library, so come along and give it a try.
By Alex B (1L)
CHESS CHAMPS CHARGE AHEAD
Last week, on Friday, I played in an intense Chess match against Emmanuel School U18s. I rotated between boards three and four which meant I played against two different people. It was 1 point for a win, ½ for a draw and 0 for a loss. Both of these matches were incredibly tough, but I relished the opportunity to test my different tactics against the older players. I concentrated hard, not to make silly blunders and thinking several moves ahead. One game was extremely close, but I had to stay relaxed under pressure. By the end we had won 9-3 which made all the effort worth it. Playing against the older kids was tough but now it shows me that when I put my mind to it, I can compete at any level!
By Ahrin K (1W)
BOA-STING ABOUT BIOLOGY
On Wednesday in Biology Club, we were lucky enough to have the very rare opportunity of being able to pet multiple different snakes, and best of all we got to hold them. Not just that but we were able to see a one-of-a-kind snake whose skin was covered in orange and yellow patterns. Each of the eight snakes, that we were able to hold, had a different pattern and colours. The snakes ranged from a three-month-old baby to fully grown adult snakes, with the longest being over 2m in length! All the snakes were boa constrictors and were from many different parts of the world such as Australia, Europe and the USA.
Holding the snake, you could feel the muscles that they were using to support the parts of their bodies that weren’t holding, especially when they tried to go off exploring. I learned that some snakes have poor eyesight, so they navigate using sensors that detect heat sources to allow them to sense prey and predators.
From snakes becoming scarves, to two people being interlocked, wherever you looked in the room everyone had a smile on their face due to interacting with the snakes.
By Ren F (1L)
Take a look at some of the slithering visitors to Biology Club below:
CRAZY CHROMATOGRAPHY AND COLOURFUL CHEMISTRY
On the last Monday of September, I went to Chemistry Club along with my friend. In Chemistry Club we used chromatography paper to separate different colour food dyes and felt-tip pen colours. The results were remarkable. The black ink was a mixture of red, green, and blue, all so vibrant! However, the yellow disappointed me as it turns out it is only made of yellow. All together all efforts were great, and most people got a Lion Merit. Afterwards I was sad to leave!
By Ruben V (1F)
AN UDDERLY BRILLIANT ADVENTURE
Last weekend I went to Wales to see my uncle, who had flown in from New Zealand, at my aunt’s house. When I got there, I was greeted by a pleasant surprise. My aunt’s friend has just had kid goats born and I was in the perfect time to see them! The following day I set off to the biggest goat farm in Wales. The owner of the farm invited me to have a look at some goats. Just then the milking started to happen. I actually milked around 40 goats! Afterwards you must spray their udders with iodine as it acts as an anti-bacterial protection. Even after that there was still more to do. I was asked to give warm milk to the baby goats I even got to carry one. That is a GOATed day!
By Ruben V (1F)
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 Ruben V (1F) on being named this week’s Tutee of the Week!
Ruben has been really involved in Hampton School life, attending lots of clubs. He works hard, is always helpful, and unfailingly polite – well done Ruben!
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS!
As you remember from last week, Luca A F (1L) has had great success in his Chess outside of School. Last Sunday, Luca took part in the SCCU – Southern Counties Chess Union Junior Jamboree, and his team (Richmond Juniors) won first place in the U14 section! Well done Luca!
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 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: How many football and rugby pitches are there in total, excluding the 3G? The answer was 11 and the sign on the Pavilion was a big hint!
A big well done to Alex B, Aahil U, Hia Yeung K, Thomas D and Owen S-W.
This week’s challenge is:
Where might you find a Dr Who Tardis?
