“In your life and work at Dollar Academy we ask you, at all times, to consider the feelings and interests of other people. Good relationships are based on courtesy, on respect and on thoughtfulness.”

These are principles that have been central to the life of Dollar Academy for many years, and are, I think, the basis for what is distinctive about our community. I am delighted to see the natural care and consideration that you show towards staff, visitors and, generally speaking, each other. The quality of relationships; the ability to look the other person in the eye; and speaking with the right kind of self-assurance – those, for me, are the hallmarks of Dollar.

Visitor after visitor has indicated that the outstanding impression you convey is of a friendly, open and confident approach to life, and, even in a large school community, visitors have noticed that the Academy works on a particularly human scale. That is very much a testament to your friendliness and to your general enthusiasm. Good relationships between you and your teachers are vital to the life of Dollar Academy; and mutual respect is at the
heart of this.

I am also reminded daily of the extent to which staff and pupils achieve enormous success in a variety of areas: in the classroom, on the games field, in the music rooms, in all their cocurricular activities and involvements. Dollar people seem to be able to go anywhere and do anything to which they set their minds.

In support of this, the Governors have enabled Dollar generations to enjoy an extraordinary range of facilities. We are lucky, too, to be able to live in an environment that combines green space with the best of ancient and modern architecture. I ask each of you to take a pride in your school, and to recognise that every single one of us has a significant part to play in maintaining its attractiveness. Our grounds are accessible to everyone – and we all should value our unique environment.

I very much hope that you enjoy your time at Dollar, and that you gain from it all the benefit that is on offer, not simply your achievements in your final exam grades, but also the pleasure of long- lasting friendships and memories of new, challenging experiences. Much of the responsibility for this lies in your hands, for it is your school and your own life that you are shaping.

I wish you the greatest good fortune in your career at Dollar. Make the most of it.

David Knapman
Rector