What happens when the perks of an educator’s job include a front porch, a friendly neighbor, and a vibrant community? Pingry decided to find out just that by taking a groundbreaking approach to employee housing with their Pottersville Campus. With its cozy buildings and rolling hills, Pottersville is not simply acquired real estate. It is fast becoming a community that redefines and revitalizes connections, touching every corner of the School.
The idea behind Pottersville is rooted in the fearless spirit of Why not? Where others saw an empty campus, the Pingry community envisioned new possibilities. This was the perspective that led Pingry in August 2021 to acquire the campus, an 82-acre property that has since become the cornerstone of Pingry’s employee housing initiative. Just a few short years later, what began as a strategic investment has blossomed into a vibrant, close-knit residential community that is fast reshaping the way school leadership approaches recruitment, retention, and the lived experiences of its faculty and staff.
Today, nearly 50 residents, including 21 employees and their families, live in thoughtfully renovated homes across the Pottersville property. Nestled in an idyllic setting, the campus features 20 rental units, ranging from studios to spacious three-bedroom apartments, and the School plans for growth. The Brook House, a seven-bedroom farmhouse currently used for flexible needs, is slated for future conversion into additional apartments.
Another recent transformation has been the reimagining of the former campus health center. Now The Suite at Pottersville, it was recently converted into an eight-bedroom inn used for hosting visiting experts-in-residence, guest lecturers, strategic partners, and other friends of the community. As a whole, the Pottersville Campus now serves not only as a home base for employees, but as a dynamic and flexible resource for the larger community.
For Director of the Pottersville Campus Rebecca Sullivan, the vision for this community has always been rooted in connection. “Pottersville allows everyone to connect with each other in a way that is much deeper than just being colleagues,” she says. “Because your neighbors are your colleagues.” She is convinced the community-at-large feels the difference. “Students, I think, hopefully feel the trickle-down effect of people knowing each other really well and connecting regularly at home.” It’s a place where the simple rhythms of daily life—walking your dog, neighborhood kids riding their bikes, friends and colleagues pausing for a conversation—create an atmosphere that strengthens relationships and enriches the wider community.
Beyond its social fabric, Pottersville offers meaningful support to employees in practical ways. Housing here is intentionally affordable. Early in the process, a realtor conducted a comprehensive market analysis, comparing similar properties in nearby towns. From there, Pingry established a market rate for each unit and then set rent at a significant reduction of that rate. The result is a financially sustainable model that offers real relief to employees in the expensive New Jersey housing market—especially new employees relocating from far away. As Ms. Sullivan explains, “We can offer people a landing pad and a place to call home right away.”
The affordability and convenience make Pottersville a powerful recruitment tool. Candidates, whether they live near or far, are now able to consider Pingry as not just a great place to work, but as a great place to live. The campus has also become valuable for retention, helping talented employees reside in the community through life’s unexpected transitions.
The amenities at Pottersville rival those of a private community. Residents enjoy access to two fitness centers, including a cardio and weight room, a peaceful library workspace, and an indoor, air-conditioned turf gym. The theatre on campus doubles as a movie screening space, and the grounds include walking trails, a greenhouse, and a community garden. It is, quite simply, a beautiful place to be.
But perhaps what makes it most unique is the sense of community that has taken shape. “There’s a number of families that live here with young kids and they ride their bikes together, they play in backyards together, they run into each other’s houses,” shares Ms. Sullivan. “It's very ‘open door.’” Yet it’s not only a great place for curious kids to explore. “I think it provides a tranquil setting for any age,” she adds. And with monthly “town hall” style gatherings to bring everyone together in a spirit of shared investment, residents have at their doorstep an open invitation to the many events on campus, activities like Taiko drumming performances and Lower School families celebrating Earth Day. These moments create opportunities for connection beyond the classroom and allow faculty to engage with students and their families in upbeat, informal settings.
Guiding the success of this initiative is the Pottersville Housing Committee, a group tasked with enacting thoughtful policies to maintain a vibrant, connected, diverse, and mission-aligned community. The committee’s role is twofold: to ensure a high-quality residential experience and to strategically support hiring and retention. The committee also oversees policies to ensure that the philosophy of Pottersville—a living and learning community of colleagues—is upheld as the campus evolves.
“The Pottersville housing initiative as a whole is an incredible asset to Pingry,” emphasizes Ms. Sullivan. “It’s new and exciting and it has so much potential to impact the School.” That impact is already deeply felt. Relationships built at Pottersville shape the tone of classrooms, the conversations in the hallways, and the collaborations across departments. “I see my neighbors in the hallway, and it’s a special connection that we have with each other that we hope creates a ripple effect throughout the school.”
Educators who come to Pingry know they are choosing a different path. It’s one of excellence and honor, sure, but it’s also one of winding walking trails, laughter over shared meals, heartfelt support, and, always, open doors.
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To contact the author: Sara Courtney
Photos by: Natalie Gonzalez