In memory of Linda Barnhart's dedication to teaching and education, a scholarship fund will be used to annually support a Sontag graduate pursuing higher education.

Linda Sowder Barnhart was a beloved mother, grandmother, Kindergarten teacher, friend, church and community volunteer who dedicated her life to helping others.  She was a woman of deep faith who loved her friends, church members, fellow teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and teacher assistants as she loved her own family.  She was driven by the poem on her kitchen refrigerator that said “Success is not measured in the amount of dollars you make, but the amount of lives you impact”.

Linda graduated from Radford University with a bachelor’s in early childhood education and went on to get her master’s degree in elementary education.  She started teaching at Clearbrook Elementary in Roanoke, VA all while balancing her growing family, church responsibilities and her duties at the family farm.

Linda was selected for the Franklin County School Board in 1982 and served 8 years as a fierce and vocal advocate for both children and ALL school professionals.  During her stint on the board, she helped drive the first division-wide volunteer program that formally recruited, trained and structured volunteer assistance for teachers.

As her three children got older, Linda went back to her love of teaching little kids and specifically Kindergarten where she spent 20 years as part of the Sontag Elementary family.  She received numerous awards and was nominated for state teacher of the year.   Understanding the value of education, she also never quit learning herself.  Late in her career, she spent two years achieving a rigorous and well-earned National Board Certification.