Welcome to the Second Year Blog!
Despite being a shorter week, we’ve still been just as busy! We kicked things off on Tuesday with the sweet success of our Form Charity Bake Sale; a huge thank you to everyone who donated delicious treats or helped us “taste test” them for a good cause. The cakes sold out in just 15 minutes, raising over £500 for our Form Charity partners Shooting Star, Alzheimer’s Society and UNICEF! Second Years also had the chance to channel their inner musicians in a brilliant Caribbean steel pans workshop where the whole year group got involved and had a go at playing – a few future calypso stars in the making, perhaps?
As always, this week’s blog is packed with extra bits to enjoy: our tutor question of the week dares to settle the great debate ‘Are Jaffa Cakes actually cakes or biscuits?’ There’s also our weekly quiz to test your knowledge, a quick update on what’s been happening in Vatican City, and of course, a cryptic clue to get those brains ticking as we prepare for our revision this weekend.
Merit Milestones
Another bumper weeks for merits:
Rayyan Shah – 50 (he’s off to se Mr Knibbs!)
George Corbett – 70 (super!)
Ethan Choi – 70 (fantastic!)
Liangxu Zhong – 70 (amazing!)
Colin Yeung – 90 (wow!)
Ethan Sharma Wadeson – 100 (merits galore!)
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 comes from Ollie S (2H):
Are Jaffa Cakes actually cakes or biscuits?
Cakes – Miss Holt, Miss Tiller, Mr Hood
Biscuits – 2H, 2J
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 e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk.
Form Charity Bake Sale!
This week, the School held a charity bake sale that Second Year pupils could bake for. It took place on Tuesday break and there were a variety of delicious treats on sale. Over the weekend I made some honey flapjacks to donate from a family recipe that is simply oats, honey, sugar and butter. At the bake sale, I purchased a rocky road and a cookie for the grand total of one pound. All the proceeds went to Alzheimer’s Society, Shooting Star and UNICEF. I found the overall experience great fun and it was even better knowing that it was all going to a good cause!
By Oscar G (2J)
Steel Pan Sensations!
On Tuesday, during our Music lesson, we had a workshop where we learned how to play the steel drums, which involves using parts of oil drums to make music. We learned that people from the Caribbean got bored while transporting oil containers and decided to make music to keep themselves entertained! The instructor was great and explained everything very clearly. There were also labelled stickers showing each note on the drum, and different drums carved into different shapes which made everything really easy to follow. We used three different types of drum, which were all fun to use and then we worked together to make a nice sounding melody!
By Jaibir G (2J)
News from the Vatican!
At around 6pm on Thursday white smoke appeared over the Sistine Chapel marking the election that picked Pope Francis’ successor. Despite many tears shed after the loss of a kind, loving pope, Thursday 8 May marks a new day in history, the first ever American Pope. What is so significant about this? Well, there are many reasons why the shift from European Popes to a mixture of popes coming from western society is so valuable. The new Pope changes the perspective or the “stereotype” of having a European Pope, it shows the growing dominance of Catholicism across far more nations, symbolising unity and representation. It displays the inclusion of not just Popes from the East but also from the West. An American Pope reinforces the idea of focusing on nations where Catholicism is vibrant and expanding.
Robert F. Prevost was born in Chicago in 1955 and earned a degree in Maths and decided to pursue Theological Studies and then earned a doctorate from Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He decided to move to Peru for missionary work, preaching and teaching Christianity while spreading it to a diverse culture. His traits and virtuous personality then caught the attention of Pope Francis; in 2003 he was appointed by the Pope to be the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops – an influential role and title in the Vatican City that not many people receive. After hard work he stands here today as the first American Pope. Many believe that our new Pope would mark a return to the pastoral leadership of the Catholic Church along with sympathy for diverse beliefs like homosexuality and race. And that brings us on to the topic of why a Pope is so valuable and crucial in the modern day and age, where we face many problems.
A Pope, no matter which one, will always be the voice for global issues. In a world were humans face many challenges like political disagreements, war, poverty, climate change, and inequality, the Pope can speak with moral authority. Take Pope Francis for example, he was there to speak to us about environmental destruction, economic injustice and the mistreatment of migrants, he was able to push citizens to act with compassion and responsibility. Many people may just think that the Pope is a voice for only the Catholics, however, Pope Francis’ stance on the mistreatment of migrants showed that it was not just Catholics he intended to look after but also a mixture of races and beliefs. In fact, his first trip as pope led him to Lampedusa where many African migrants died crossing the sea, he later condemned the “globalization of indifference.” Another notable act of equality and inclusion was when Pope Francis washed the feet of Muslim, Hindu and Christian refugees, (on Holy Thursday of 2016) symbolising those actions of Jesus Christ, displaying that he was not only there to look after Catholics but also a far more diverse group of people.
By Ethan S-W (2L)
Pet of the Week
Every week we meet one of Second Year’s furry (or scaly!) friends. This week’s pet of the week is Mika!
Here’s why Patrick J (2H) thinks Mika deserves to be pet of the week:
This is my dog, Mika. She is a cockapoo that we got at the beginning of this school year and although she constantly tries to steal my food, I love her and enjoy the fact she is scared of other dogs which gets us out of walks to the parks! She barks every morning which gets me out of bed (which admittedly has saved me once or twice!). She also knows how to shake someone’s hand!
Would you like to see your pet featured? Email e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk with a picture of your pet, along with their name, age, and why you think they deserve to be featured. I can’t wait to meet them!
Cryptic Clue
As a renowned devotee of the club, Michael C (2J)’s passion for cryptic crosswords has extended into creating his own for us to try and solve!
The answer to our last clue ‘Clue: Start perfect for Mr Knibbs’ (10) was…
Headmaster!
Reason: A synonym for start is ‘head’ and a synonym of perfect as a verb is ‘master.’ Add them together to get ‘headmaster,’ which Mr Knibbs is!
Can you guess this week’s?
Clue: Is out of cloisters before moving readers (7)
Hint: This is a takeaway and anagram clue. You must take something out of the word ‘cloisters’ and then mix up the remaining letters to get the answer, who’s definition is ‘reader.’
Come back next week to find out if you guessed correctly!
Guess the Year!
Nicholas S (2P) recently contacted me with the idea for this new weekly blog feature. The answer to last week’s clue was 2001!
Can you guess the year the following events took place?
- The Shard opens in London
- NASA’s Curiosity Rover lands on Mars
- “Gangnam Style” goes viral and becomes the first video on YouTube to reach one billion views.
Come back next week to find out if you got it right!
Artist Anonymous
For Giving Day this year, we are hosting an ‘Anonymous Artist Postcard Sale’ and we would like as many pupils, parents, and staff, as possible to demonstrate their artistic talents. To get involved, you can collect a postcard from either the Art department (F63) or the Alumni office (G3). You then have until Monday 2 June to create and submit your anonymous masterpiece. Members of the Hampton community will be invited to view the art work online (exhibited at School to staff and pupils on Wednesday 2 July) and make a donation to take a masterpiece home. Hidden amongst the masterpieces will be submissions from professional Artists – will you take home a piece created by a current award-winning artist? Or one created by the next Picasso?
Battle of the Bands
The Summer Rock Concert is being held on Tuesday 24 June, and this year will take the format of a ‘Battle of the Bands’ in aid of the upcoming Giving Day. The audience will be given the chance to vote for their favourite band, who will win some music vouchers and the opportunity to play before the Summer Concert at the end of the year.
Auditions are open to bands and soloists from First Year to Lower Sixth – all the required information was sent round in an email last Friday. The deadline for signing up for an audition is Friday 16 May. If you have any questions, come and find Mr Ferrier in the Music Office.
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:
- In Germany, what animal delivers goods to children instead of a bunny? Fox
- The first Easter eggs were dyed in what colour? Red
- What is the name of the largest Easter Egg ever made(It was made in Canada)? Vegreville Pysanka
- Easter Eggs were introduced by the company “Fry’s” as a luxury food in what year? 1873
- What country’s children dress up as witches or wizards for Easter? Sweden
Well done to Toby B, Naivedya A, Shaurya D, Charlie F and Liangxu Z. Don’t forget to collect a Merit.
If you’re keen to write some general knowledge questions for the Blog, please email e.holt@hamptonschool.org.uk
