News from Hampton Summer 2021

NEWS FROM

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD

HAMPTON TH E N EWSLET T ER F O R HAM PTO N S CHO O L

Over 250 boys have been involved in Silver and Gold DofE expeditions this term. Groups of Hamptonians have hiked the slopes of Snowdonia, the Jurassic coastline of Dorset, the valleys of the Lake District and the heathland of the New Forest.

SU MM E R 2021 INSIDE THIS ISSUE • BOAT RACE • COASTEERING ADVENTURE • GIVING DAY • MUSIC WORKSHOPS • NATIONAL DEBATING CHAMPIONS • RECORD BREAKERS • THE TERRIBLE INFANTS • YOUNG REPORTERS

With the sun shining and the skies staying mostly dry, this year’s adventurers have trekked a combined total of more than 13,000 kilometres – no mean feat with a 65-litre rucksack on your back.

Generations of Hamptonians have benefited from the DofE Award scheme since it began in 1956, when Hampton was privileged to be selected as one of the first schools to trial the scheme. Since then, over 3,700 Hamptonians have completed their DofE Awards.

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Two Sixth Form linguists have been crowned winners of the prestigious Joutes Oratoires Lycéennes competition.

In a tense final against Henrietta Barnett School, Nayaaz Hashim and Patrick Helm impressed the judges as they debated with eloquence and energy.

The Lower Sixth Francophiles used convincing arguments to respond to their opponents’ points and were named National French Debating Champions 2021.

Head of Modern Languages, Mr Fred Chaveneau, congratulated the linguists on their success: “Nayaaz and Patrick were exceptional throughout.

They were able to think quickly on their feet, respond spontaneously and their level of accuracy was extraordinary.”

BIOLOGY PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Fourth Year pupil Ivo Meldrum was the winner of the inaugural Biology Department Photography competition.

His winning photo was a natural image that showcased the exuberance of two dogs chasing each other on West Wittering beach.

The literary talents of Hamptonians were on display in this year’s Creative Writing Awards. The young writers were challenged to write an action adventure story and succeeded in creating pulse-pounding and adrenalinepumping entries.

Young adult fiction author Sara Grant praised the Hamptonians for their storytelling: “Surreal tales that played with reality. Twists I never saw coming.

Terrifying surprises. And bringing unique fantastical worlds to life in just 1,000 words. The writers at Hampton School wowed me!”

Ivo’s prize was a stunning photo of a leopard by wildlife photographer David Fettes.

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UNREMEMBERED DAYS

HAMPTON BEES

Hampton’s Genocide80Twenty group has been working in partnership with more than 90 pupils from a range of schools to publish a book called Unremembered Days.

Described as a vital history of modern genocide told through the true stories of tragically unforgettable but unremembered days, the young campaigners have worked in their spare time to research and chronicle 65 tragic days drawn from the Holocaust and other genocides.

This term, the group also heard from Stephen Fry about members of his family who perished in the Holocaust.

With sunshine returning to the Hampton playing fields and a new wildflower area coming into bloom, Hampton’s bee colony continues to thrive.

A new generation of First Year apiarists have been learning all about beekeeping from Head of Biology Mr Phil Langton.

YOUNG REPORTERS

Budding journalists have excelled in this year’s Newsquest Young Reporter awards.

Fourth Year pupils Josh Hood, Vishal Saha and Harry Takla have been named winners in the online journalism competition. Reporting on local events, the Hamptonians produced eight articles over eight months, with stories ranging from a local hairdressing hero to life in a Premier League academy.

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THE TERRIBLE INFANTS The Lower School summer show saw a cast of 36 Hamptonians bring the colourful story of The Terrible Infants to life.

The vibrant production entertained the audience with a series of twisted fairy tales which blended puppetry with magical storytelling.

Drama teacher Mrs Nikki Plowman praised the young actors for their performance: “I consider myself very lucky to work with such creative, sparky and intelligent young actors, who have all worked hard under challenging circumstances.”

BRAINSTORM Fourth Year Dramatists showcased their acting talent in the devised play Brainstorm.

The cast of eight Hamptonians began rehearsing in November 2020 and finally performed on the Hammond Theatre stage in April 2021.

The play follows the lives of a group of angstridden adolescents and delves deep into different parts of the teenage brain. The actors’ excitement at performing in front of their peers was palpable and the livestream production captured the dramatic tension of the young actors perfectly.

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MUSIC WORKSHOPS Musicians from across the year groups took part in a series of workshops exploring music-making from around the world.

Fifth Years travelled to the Caribbean for an energetic Steel Pan Drumming workshop, while Third Years discovered traditional Indonesian Gamelan music.

First Years raised the roof of the Hammond Theatre as they took part in a vocal workshop with singers from the Voces8 Foundation and Second Years brought a carnival atmosphere to School as they mastered the art of Samba drumming.

CHAMBER CONCERTS Live music returned to the Hammond Theatre as Hamptonians showcased their talent in two lunchtime chamber concerts. Ensembles ranged from the Jazz Trio performing a Rodgers and Hammerstein classic to the Third Year Violin Group entertaining the audience with music from the television programme Star Trek.

LEAVERS’ CONCERT

Family members, fellow pupils and staff gathered to celebrate our Upper Sixth leavers’ contribution to the musical life of the School.

The concert began in the Hammond Theatre where our musicians showcased their talents with a varied range of performances highlighting the outstanding level of musicianship at Hampton.

During the second half of the show, the music moved outside to the Cloisters where our musicians made the most of a beautiful summer evening with a more contemporary mix of performances.

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COASTEERING ADVENTURE A group of 20 First Year Hamptonians enjoyed an adrenalin-packed weekend on the Jurassic Coast.

The young adventurers tackled climbing at Dancing Ledge and overcame their fears to abseil back down the challenging rock faces.

Taking full advantage of the beautiful weather, the boys enjoyed paddling around Brownsea Island and friendships were formed over a mug of hot chocolate around the evening campfire.

The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Mud Trail at Dorset Adventure Park where the boys mastered balance beams, cargo nets and mud slides, the objective being to get as muddy as possible!

GIVING DAY

Hampton School’s first-ever Giving Day raised over £200,000 in support of the Fitzwygram Foundation and Free Places at the School.

The School was first established in 1557 and on Founders’ Day, the Hampton community came together over the course of 1557 minutes, to take part in a range of fun fundraising activities and challenges in support of Free Places for boys whose families could not otherwise afford a Hampton education.

Over 700 generous donors including alumni, staff, friends, parents and grandparents came together to support the initiative.

An enormous THANK YOU to everyone for your incredible generosity!

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CAMBRIDGE COX

In the 166th Boat Race between the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, Charlie Marcus OH (2018) expertly steered the Cambridge boat to victory.

The race was moved from the traditional setting of the Tideway on the River Thames to Ely in Cambridgeshire due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Wearing his Hampton sports socks, Charlie, the fourth Hamptonian to cox in the University Boat Race, played a pivotal role in the victory with his tactically astute steering.

Photo by Benedict Tufnell

RECORD BREAKERS

First Year Marcus Solomon broke a 32-year-old School record in the 1500m at the Harrow School Athletics competition.

In his first appearance representing Hampton, Marcus crossed the line in an impressive 4 minutes 41.92 seconds, breaking the 1989 record set by Gareth Creagh OH (1995).

Fellow athletes Hayden Christian (Fourth Year) and Ted Buckle (Upper Sixth) also put in strong performances. Ted equalled the record in the High Jump after clearing 1.80m, while Hayden broke the Long Jump record with his jump of 6.51m.

CRICKET SUCCESS

Hampton’s cricket teams have enjoyed an exceptional season, winning 112 of their 150 matches.

The U12A cricketers have made an impressive start to their Hampton cricketing careers with victory in the Middlesex Cup, a feat also achieved by the U14A team. The First XI have also seen some excellent results and reached the quarter final of the HMC National Cup. There have been some notable individual and team performances. Upper Sixth batsman Tanmay Thanawalla has been in outstanding form, recording two centuries for the First XI whilst Lower Sixth bowler Kyle Seth took six wickets against Tiffin School. Four pupils, Pravin Kiritharan, Faizan Faraz, Gabriel Robertson and Thomas Tabor, have also taken hat-tricks this season, an incredible cricketing achievement.

SPORTS ROUNDUP There has been plenty of sport this term, with spectators returning to the sidelines for the first time in nearly eighteen months.

Senior rugby players signed off their Hampton sporting careers with impressive victories against Epsom College, Wellington College and Whitgift School. Lower down the School, our younger players returned to competitive action in a series of block fixtures.

Football matches continued through the summer months. The First XI finished second in the HUDL League, after some excellent results including wins against Bradfield College and Millfield School, narrowly missing out on the top spot on goal difference.

The Boat House has enjoyed being back on the water with junior crews gaining race experience for the very first time. At the National Schools’ Regatta, Charlie Close and Jacob O’Loughlin impressed with a Bronze medal in the Senior Championship Double.

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