On a Saturday evening, the kitchen table at Campbell House is covered with bowls of candy, bags of frosting, and half-constructed gingerbread houses. Students crafted their sugary structures while snacking on their building materials. In one living room, a group of students strategizes over a board game while sharing popcorn. In another, the laughter of a card game echoes through the house.

They say it’s the people who make a house a home. In the case of Campbell House, Head of School Heather Willis Daly and Science Teacher Brendan Daly are those people.

“My friends and I go, sit on the couch, laugh, and have fun,” says Feeny Moskowitz ’28. “It gives me such a deep sense of comfort and warmth walking into their home.” James Haley '26 agrees. “Especially in the winter, their home is such a warm place to go,” he says. “I like how Mrs. Daly is getting to know people and the activities she has.”

Since arriving at Pomfret this summer, the Dalys have made Campbell House a welcoming hub for the Hilltop community. In the fall, the Dalys hosted one advisory group each week for Tuesday night dinners. “Brendan and I have genuinely enjoyed hosting weekly advisory dinners in Campbell House,” says Daly. “Making sure Campbell House feels like a home for our students is important to me.” They look forward to continuing this new tradition in the spring, when advisory dinners, which pause for the winter term, resume.

All students are also welcome at Saturday night Open Houses, featuring activities like pumpkin carving, apple turkey making, game nights, and gingerbread house decorating. The house is filled with chatter and laughter as students gather around tables, snack in hand, enjoying apple cider and seltzer while diving into the evening’s activity.

Daly reflects, “I am grateful for all the meaningful connections I have made over meals, board games, puzzles, and pumpkin carving, to name just a few.” At Campbell House, those connections are what turn a house into a home and invite visitors to linger just a little longer.

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