AUTUMN TERM 2016 The joint Hampton and LEH musical www.hamptonschool.org.uk is a sell-out success! The Newsletter for The Newsletter for Hampton School Photo: Big Image Photography IN THIS ISSUE A cast of 95 actors, musicians and Head of Drama at Hampton School, Miss Jo backstage technicians took part in this Davis, says their hard work was clear to see: • Avon Tyrrell high-octane and highly entertaining production of West Side Story. “I am so proud of the cast, crew and • Borneo orchestra for putting on four fantastic • Genocide Awareness Day One of the most famous musicals of all time, performances. Their commitment and the show tells the story of Tony and Maria, enthusiasm were impressive.” • Hampton Radio star-crossed lovers from two rival New York • Public Examination Results gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Particular mention must go to the leads, Oliver Harvey-Piper and Ana Martin, who • Rowing Success The Hampton and LEH cast rehearsed for were totally engaging as the teenage lovers. • Senior Prizegiving over five months in order to master the complex dance moves, acting, and song The energetic performance of the Jet boys • The Hamptonics lyrics in what is regarded as one of the most in the Officer Krupke scene was also a firm • Young Reporter Awards difficult scores in Broadway musicals. favourite with the crowd. Record GCSE & IGCSE Results Hampton boys achieved record-breaking results at I/GCSE with 68% of all grades at A*, and 91% at A* or A grade. A remarkable 36 boys achieved 10 A* grades in their exams, with over a third of the year group attaining 10 or 9 A* grades. The School’s reputation for providing an exceptional all-round education was once again highlighted as our talented sportsmen, dramatists and musicians were among those receiving outstanding academic results. Superb A Level Results Hamptonians celebrated an impressive A Level results day with over 91% of the results awarded being at A*, A or B grade. 30% of the total grades awarded to our Upper Sixth were at A*, compared to the national average of 8.1%, and 11 pupils secured 4 A* grades. The Headmaster, Mr Kevin Knibbs, offered his warm congratulations: “The excellent final grades achieved by our 2016 leavers are just reward for their hard work in partnership with their dedicated teachers. Once again, our departing Hamptonians have recorded first-class public examination results through taking a balanced and well-rounded approach to School life.” Hampton Radio Chess The MP for Twickenham, Dr Tania Mathias, visited the Champion School to launch Hampton’s new radio station. Dr Mathias was interviewed by Sixth Former Fabio Rossi, who quizzed again! her on a number of topical issues including the expansion of Heathrow Airport and the NHS. Over 50 boys are involved in “Fabio’s interview was more challenging Hampton Radio and podcasts on a for me than my appearance on BBC variety of subjects can be found on Radio 4’s Today programme. I was the School’s intranet. impressed that his questioning shows a unique style that is powerful yet Dr Mathias congratulated Fabio on his courteous.” professional approach: Fourth Year, Koby Kalavannan, has won both the U14 and U15 national titles at the British Chess Championships. This is the third year in a row that Koby has won two age categories at the championships. Following his success, Koby represented England at the European Youth Chess Championships. He will now compete at the World Youth Chess Competition in 2017 in Uruguay. Koby is delighted with his current form: “I put a lot of hard work into my game and it is very rewarding to see that this is paying off.” Young Reporter Awards Six Hamptonians made it to the final of the Young Reporter Awards, which are run by the Newsquest media group. The aspiring journalists were selected from over 500 entrants from across the South East. Fifth Year pupil, Thomas Hazell, was awarded first place in the photojournalism category for his coverage of the international driving tournament, The Race of Champions. Thomas won a book voucher and a place on a journalism day at Kingston University. Avon Tyrrell First Year boys enjoyed their residential trip to Avon Tyrrell in the New Forest. The purpose of the visit was to help the young Head of First Year, Mrs Jennifer Peattie, Hamptonians forge friendships, while tackling a range of says the trip was a great success: exciting activities such as the high ropes challenge and an assault course. “The boys came back as a much closer group. Not only do they now know each other much better, The trip culminated in a raft-building competition with but they are also more aware of each other’s strengths.” some pupils ending up damper than others. Team Building Day Third Year boys participated in an action-packed team building day at the start of term. Tasks such as Team Skiing and the Giant Spider’s Web encouraged the boys to work together, while solving several mental and physical challenges. The day helped the boys to develop new friendships and to become better acquainted with their Sixth Form Mentors and Form Tutors. Genocide Awareness The pupil-led campaign group, Genocide 80Twenty, organised Hampton’s first Genocide Awareness Day this term. Over 150 school pupils from across London attended the event to listen to the stories of four genocide survivors. BBC presenter and historian Dan Snow also attended, chairing a Q&A session between the survivors and the students. The event attracted widespread publicity with messages of congratulation from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the former Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls. Model United Nations New Boys’ Concert The annual New Boys’ Concert featured 27 boys from the First and the Third Year, Third to Fifth Year pupils attended the Reigate Grammar School Model United Nations Conference. Topics who treated parents and staff to a concert discussed included the treatment of prisoners, nuclear of great variety and interest. power and terrorist recruitment. Director of Music, Mr Iain Donald, praised the young Three Hamptonians were praised for their debating musicians, saying the evening was a foretaste of a truly skills: Egor Kaygorodov and Alwaleed Al Doory were bright musical future for Hampton School. named Highly Commended Delegates and Alfie Watkins was awarded the title of Outstanding Delegate. Costa Rica Sixth Form Geographers enjoyed an eight-day trip to Costa Rica, a country with many areas of geographical interest. The boys took the opportunity to visit Arenal, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. They also studied ecotourism in the Tirimbina tropical rainforest and visited the ASIS Wildlife Rescue Centre, home to native and non-native species. A crocodile safari was on the itinerary along with zip-wiring in the Monteverde cloud forest, where atmospheric conditions create a consistent cover of cloud. The senior boys also spent time volunteering at an orphanage in San Bosco, which offers a home to children at risk. The orphanage staff thanked the Hamptonians for their kindness and compassion. Bodiam Castle First Year historians visited the site of the Battle of Hastings in October, during the week of the 950th anniversary celebrations. Boys welcomed the opportunity to try on pieces of medieval armour and to learn more about the battle, in which Harold and his army made their last stand for Anglo-Saxon England. France The land of lavender was the destination for the annual Second Year sport and culture trip to Provence. This action-packed week is designed to help the boys enhance their linguistic skills, whilst enjoying Italy the rich cultural heritage of the region. Sorrento was the destination for the Third Trips to the local market in Manosque allowed the boys to sample traditional Provençal produce. The Year Geography trip. Gorges du Verdon was the destination for sailing and canoeing lessons. A further highlight was the The group visited some of the world’s most significant discovery of Les Calanques, the limestone coves geographical sites such as Mount Vesuvius and the off the picturesque port of Cassis. Roman ruins of Pompeii. The boys also experienced the geothermal fumaroles at Solfatara, before exploring the GCSE and A Level students also immersed labyrinth of tunnels, tanks and cavities that lie underneath themselves in the French language on their the city of Naples. week-long cultural visit to Nice. Meanwhile ten Sixth Formers enjoyed a five-day History trip to Italy, taking in many of the artistic wonders of Florence and Venice. Senior Simon Amor, Head Coach of the England Rugby Sevens team, awards the prizes. Prizegiving Governors, parents and staff joined senior pupils and alumni to celebrate the achievements of 2015-2016. This year’s guest speaker was Simon Amor OH, who enjoyed an illustrious rugby career and is a former captain of the England Sevens team. Simon spoke to a packed audience about leading the GB Sevens to the finals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He encouraged today’s Hamptonians to focus on effort and hard work rather than simply pursuing end goals. The main awards of the evening included The Howes Cup, which was jointly presented to last year’s Vice- Captains, Luca Cericola, James Emeny and Sam Howard-Sneyd. The Fitzwygram Cup was awarded to Tom Nunan, last year’s School Captain. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Boys on the Gold and Silver practice expedition in the Lake District enjoyed perfect weather conditions. This year’s trekkers basked in glorious sunshine as they journeyed from Penrith to Windermere over four days. Travelling from the Northern to the Southern Lakes, the boys enjoyed stunning views and passed famous beauty spots, including Lake Ullswater, Grisedale Tarn and Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage.