Academic Dean
One of seven children, Pat Barnhardt started teaching in the basement of her home at the age of 10. Her love of children and writing report cards drove her to get her credentials at Mary Washington College from which she graduated in 1975. Pat joined the staff of Grymes in 1975 at the tender age of 21. She was first hired to be the kindergarten teacher, which was a part-time position. To keep from starving, she took a job with the Orange Bicentennial Commission to help research the history of Orange. Her office was located in Mrs. Emily Grymes’ former home where Grymes School began. After two years she was able to work full-time as the first grade teacher.
During that time, one of her student’s parents introduced her to a young man who had worked at Woodberry Forest. Pat and Richard were married in 1980. One month after school let out in 1982, Pat had her first child, a son named Addison. Pat left the first grade to stay home with Addison. She finished her M Ed. at the University of Virginia the summer Addison turned two. She did some part-time tutoring and came back to GMS in 1984-85 to teach a course in seventh grade history, study skills, and to tutor a small group of children. Her daughter Brooke was born in 1986. In 1987-88 she rejoined the faculty to teach kindergarten once again. Later she took over the library for nine years and brought it into the modern era with computers and an automated system. Pat decided to go back into the classroom in 2000 to teach the third grade and loved the age group. After a one year sabbatical in 2006, Pat returned to Grymes as the Academic Dean.
Pat has been at Grymes longer than any other place in her life. She lives at Woodberry Forest School and enjoys reading, walking, and traveling.