Donna Barnes on Lehi Farming, Education, and Reviving the Lehi Free Press

Donna Barnes shares vivid memories of growing up on Lehi's north bench farm, her 30-year education career, serving on the school board, running Scrooge & Marley's Emporium, and reviving the Lehi Free Press with her sister. An oral history of Lehi, Utah.

Donna Barnes on Lehi Farming, Education, and Reviving the Lehi Free Press

Donna Barnes shares vivid memories of growing up on Lehi's north bench farm, her 30-year education career, serving on the school board, running Scrooge & Marley's Emporium, and reviving the Lehi Free Press with her sister. An oral history of Lehi, Utah.

Donna Barnes on Lehi Farming, Education, and Reviving the Lehi Free Press

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Episode Highlights

Key Stories from the Interview

Growing Up in a Town of 4,500

A Pioneer of Soil Science

Selling the Family Farm

Love at a Basketball Game

A Teacher Who Changed Policy

Boardroom Battles

The Beanie Baby Frenzy

Reviving the Lehi Free Press

Historical Insights About Lehi

Community and Legacy Themes

Memorable Quotes

Related Lehi Topics

Photo Opportunities for Historical Archive

Full Transcript

Donna Barnes Lehi Utah Interview - Roots & Branches of Lehi Podcast

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A lifelong Lehi resident reflects on growing up in a farming town of 4,500, pioneering soil science on the north bench, teaching for three decades, and keeping local journalism alive.

Work Hard Mortgage helps families achieve the dream of homeownership in Lehi and across Utah.

In this episode of Roots & Branches of Lehi , host Ryan Harding sits down with Donna Barnes , a lifelong Lehi resident whose story captures the heart of Lehi, Utah's transformation —from a quiet farming town of 4,500 people to a rapidly growing city balancing heritage with modern life. Raised just a block from where she still lives today, Donna shares vivid memories of farm life on the north bench, her father's agricultural innovations, and the tight-knit community where "everybody knew everybody in town." Her reflections offer a rare firsthand window into Lehi's rural past and the values that shaped generations of families.

Throughout the interview, Donna discusses her decades-long career in education —as a teacher, counselor, and later a school board member—providing candid insight into how Lehi's schools evolved alongside the city's explosive growth. She speaks openly about challenges in testing, class sizes, district politics, and the eventual district split, grounding her perspective in lived experience. For anyone researching Alpine School District history , Lehi education history , or the experience of women educators in Utah, Donna's account is an invaluable primary source.

Donna also shares stories from her years as a small business owner , preserving Lehi's oldest standing home by transforming it into Scrooge & Marley's Emporium , a beloved local gift shop during the Beanie Baby craze. Her family's deep ties to the Lehi Free Press —from her mother's decades of work to Donna and her sister reviving the paper—highlight the importance of local journalism in maintaining community identity. Her interview is a rich, multi-generational portrait of Lehi's history, growth, and enduring sense of community .

Prefer to listen? This episode is also available on Details Episode Overview Guest Name Donna Barnes

Educator (teacher & counselor), former Alpine School District board member, small business owner, contributor to the Lehi Free Press

1940s–2020s (childhood in the 1940s–50s, teaching career 1960s–1990s, business ownership 1990s–2010s, school board service 2000s)

Ryan Harding

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Donna describes growing up in a rural Lehi of about 4,500 people where "everybody knew everybody in town," reflecting a deeply connected farming community. In her graduating class there were about 120 kids, and she remembers knowing all the leadership, the good kids, and yes—even the bad kids.

She shares how her father pioneered soil testing in the area, sending samples to Utah State and producing "beautiful crops" through careful fertilization. He owned about 360 acres on the north bench—land that is now Ivory Ridge and Skyridge High School.

Donna recounts her father selling the family's 360-acre farm after years of struggling with insufficient irrigation water. He told her mother, "Hun, you know what? I don't have enough water to keep this green." He sold it to the church for $65,000 in the 1950s—land that would later become some of Lehi's most prominent developments.

She tells the story of meeting her husband Marlin at a basketball game and raising five children in Lehi, where her husband taught at Lehi Elementary for decades. He retired after 30 years, then bought a dump truck and hauled for people for another 25 years—because it was something he loved to do.

Donna explains how Lehi teacher Rodonna Clark sued the district so pregnant women could continue teaching—changing policy for generations. Before that victory, women were required to inform the superintendent and were terminated upon pregnancy.

She describes the frustration of serving on the school board during rapid west side growth, including moments when Lehi's needs were dismissed by other board members. She recalls one board member saying, "We don't need them," when discussing Lehi voters. "I left many meetings in tears," she admits.

Donna shares the chaotic Beanie Baby craze at her shop, where customers drew numbers from a basket to buy new releases on Saturday mornings. The demand was so intense that she and her sister implemented a lottery system just to manage the crowds.

She recounts reviving the Lehi Free Press with her sister, starting with publishing the plot plan for Holbrook Farms and gaining hundreds of new subscribers. People in Lehi wanted to know what was going on—and the more they knew, the better decisions they could make.

This interview offers valuable perspective on Lehi's evolution from an agricultural outpost to a modern suburban city. Here are key historical insights from Donna's firsthand experience:

Throughout the interview, several broader themes emerge that reflect the values and challenges facing Lehi as it grows while trying to maintain its character:

This episode connects to the broader Roots & Branches of Lehi archive. Explore these related topics to deepen your understanding of Lehi's history and community:

To enhance this community profile, consider adding these visual elements to the historical record:

Ryan Harding: Welcome to Roots and Branches of Lehi, the podcast where we get to know the faces, stories, and lives that make up our community. I am Ryan Harding, and I started this podcast as a way for us all to connect with the people we live alongside. Growing up in a small town, I learned that connections go beyond blood. They are built through shared experiences, friendships, and the moments we celebrate together. Each week, we will sit down with someone new from Lehi to share their unique story, their passions, and what they love most about living here. So whether you have been here for years or just arrived, join us as we deepen our roots and reach out to our branches one story at a time.

Ryan Harding: Welcome Donna Barnes to Roots and Branches of Lehi where we get to know you, one of the citizens of Lehi here. Longtime citizen.

Donna Barnes: Longtime citizen. That is right.

Ryan Harding: So were you born and raised here?

Donna Barnes: Just raised. Born in American Fork Hospital. American Fork and raised in Lehi. Right up about a block up the street. Long time.

Ryan Harding: Have you always stayed in Lehi?

Donna Barnes: Never moved. We have lived in our same home now for probably 56, 57 years. Good amount of time. You have seen all the growth. Yes, I have.

Ryan Harding: Talk to me about Lehi back growing up.

Donna Barnes: Obviously, it was a wonderful town, very rural. When I was growing up, there were probably, I would say, 4,500 people. Farming community. My dad was a farmer. He owned some property up on the north bench. And most of the families were farm families. I think in my graduating class there were about 120 kids. And everybody knew everybody in town. We knew all of the leadership. We knew the good kids, the bad kids. We knew where to go to have fun. We knew where to go to have not so much fun. It was a great place to grow up. We got married in 1964. And I raised my kids here. They all graduated from Lehi High School. And they bemoan the fact that it has gotten so big.

Ryan Harding: Your dad was in farming?

Donna Barnes: Uh-huh. He owned about 360 acres. Actually, Skyridge High School sits on my dad's farm. Everything that was Ivory Ridge, all in that area, belonged to my dad. He was in fact the first farmer in the area who actually did a soil test to see what kind of nutrients the soil needed. Send it to Utah State. And when the results came back, he would always fertilize. He had beautiful crops. And he worked night and day. Hardest working man there is ever been. Irrigated and his biggest complaint was there was not enough water to keep his crops green. Even back then.

Ryan Harding: What kind of crops did he grow?

Donna Barnes: Oh, everything. He had wheat and barley and milo and one year peas, harvested crops. Mostly it was fall harvest crops. And all of us worked at the farm. I was driving in a truck when I was eight or nine years old. Everybody had to pitch in to help. He bought the farm in roughly 1945. I remember when he came home from work, we lived in the city, well, in Lehi. We did not have our home up on the bench because dad hated the wind up there. But he came home and irrigated all night and he came home tired and I remember him saying to my mom, he says, "Hun, you know what? I do not have enough water to keep this green." And that was about 1956. And then he sold the land to the church for $65,000. They got a good deal. They sold it all to the church. And years later they sold a lot to Ivory Homes. And that is what Ivory Ridge is now, my dad's farm.

Ryan Harding: Did you meet your husband here in Lehi?

Donna Barnes: Uh-huh. He is. And he lived on the west side of town and I kind of lived on the east side of town and we met at a basketball game. He has always loved sports and we happened to meet there. But we dated for a very long time.

Ryan Harding: How many kids do you have?

Donna Barnes: We have five. And Marlin was a school teacher, a longtime school teacher at Lehi Elementary. And he spent two years in Orem, but the rest of his career is at Lehi Elementary. And he sees his old students all the time. He was a great teacher. Had a great bunch of people that he taught with. And it was a great time. He retired after 30 years. And then he bought a dump truck and he has hauled for people for 25 years. Just something he enjoys doing. Something he loved to do. So, he had two careers, both he loved.

Ryan Harding: Talk to me about you then.

Donna Barnes: I went to Utah State for two and a half years. Got married and went to BYU. It was not my favorite experience. But graduated from BYU in education. I taught high school, English, drama, speech. I started my career at American Fork High School. And then I kept having my family. And back then, if you knew that you were expecting a baby, you had to tell the superintendent and you were terminated. It was a gal at Lehi High School, Rodonna Clark. And she sued the district and said you cannot make me quit. And she won and from then on women could be pregnant and teach. She was responsible for a lot of women being able to further their career. But back then, women stayed home. They did not work. That was kind of the mode of living.

Ryan Harding: Was there a lot of male teachers then?

Donna Barnes: Oh yes. Many many more male teachers than there are now. Which is unfortunate. We need more male teachers. Particularly, I think I was a junior high counselor for 14 years. And in those critical formative years, those young men need a good strong male role model. And there is getting fewer and fewer and fewer in the profession, which is I think tragic. My kids were fortunate to have some wonderful male role models in their education programs.

Ryan Harding: I remember my fifth grade teacher actually was a male, Mr. Wolf. He was a little more gruff. But it was good for me because I needed a little more study habits. So to your point, I do agree. It would be nice to see more males in there.

Donna Barnes: A lot of times they are in administrative positions, but not as many teachers. They feel like they have to move into administration to earn enough money to provide for their families. And that is, you know, I think they have got things backwards. The money needs to go into the teacher salaries. And not that I do not appreciate administrators. I do. But the real strong teaching needs to be where the money needs to be with the teachers.

Ryan Harding: So you were a teacher for a lot of your life.

Donna Barnes: I taught for 30 years. Well, I had to quit for a couple of times and then I went back. And I got a master's degree in educational psychology at BYU. And I was a counselor. Never did really intend to be a counselor. I love teaching very very much. But I went into counseling and was a counselor for 14 years. At American Fork High School for a time, at AF Junior High for a time, and at Mountain Ridge Junior High for a time. So, I dealt with teenagers a lot of my life.

Ryan Harding: What stands out to you from teaching?

Donna Barnes: You know, I love teaching and back when I was teaching things were quite different. We did not have professional development. In fact, I remember my first year at American Fork High School, the principal showed me my room. And introduced me to my colleagues. That was it. And here were my textbooks that I would teach from. And so I was pretty much left on my own and I appreciated the teachers who would kind of give me some guidance. But you pretty much were an experiment at first. And I loved that and I loved the kids. I really enjoyed teaching kids and when I see my own kids, I have four teachers of my own children and then I have several grandchildren who teach too. And I see what a difference there is from when I started to what they do.

Ryan Harding: Has education been improving?

Donna Barnes: This is what I saw both as a teacher counselor and then a schoolboard member. Parents demanded more accountability from teachers and so we had to test them so testing became a huge part of curriculum development. And we have now the common core and we developed curriculums and then the kids were tested on it and I have ambivalent feelings about all that testing. I know in some of the countries in the world that have the highest achievement test scores as far as kids in later their later educational experience, they do not test in junior high. They do not test in elementary school. And I really worry about we test and test and test. And I have kids who hate to be tested that much. And I think it makes it difficult to meet the needs of all the kids when you have got testing benchmarks that you have to meet. So I am not a fan of all the testing that goes on.

Donna Barnes: And this is what happened when I was at the junior high. It was interesting because I was in the first faculty member. I was a counselor at Mountain Ridge when they opened the school. And at AF Junior, there had been honors English taught in seventh, 8th, and 9th grade. So, I guess the parents just assumed there would be honors English. So, we hired an honors English teacher and she was to prepare a test to select which kids should be in her honors classes. She only had a handful of kids who passed the test. So, and it was getting close to the time when we had to have schedules made and the master schedule had to be made. So, I went into the principal that I dearly loved. Sheldon Worthington was his name. And we said, "Let's just do away with honors English classes for a while." And there was push back. But it was a wonderful thing because when you separate kids according to their ability in especially in junior high, it is not a healthy thing. So I noticed that it was two or three years after that then no junior highs had the separated classes, honors classes. And we do that in math kind of automatically. But English, no, not so much.

Ryan Harding: Are there better methods then for accountability?

Donna Barnes: If a teacher comes on time, spends the day with those kids. You know the ones who are doing well as a principal, as a parent, as a colleague. And testing creates an anxiety for the kids. And I remember one time there were several teachers and all they wanted to teach were the smart kids, you know, they wanted to teach the higher level math or they wanted to teach, we had a couple of AP classes taught in junior high. Well, everybody clamored for those kids and I thought, "No, no, no, no, no. This is not right." Because I saw some of our male teachers who could really discipline and handle the male students much better. And so I saw the teachers kind of self-selecting the students in their classes. And then some classes that had a few behaviors were given to male teachers, honestly. So, and I think that is just a natural consequence of what happens in schools. But I am not a fan of all these achievement tests. It is hard for parents to see their children maybe not in the 99th percentile. And we all have gifts. We all have gifts. And these achievement tests really test five things. And so kids get feelings of inferiority based on test scores and it is not a healthy thing.

Ryan Harding: Teaching has improved a lot over the years. What things have you seen that have gotten better?

Donna Barnes: That is an interesting question. I do not know if they have gotten better. Maybe as far as test scores are concerned. And that is what people look at. But our class sizes are still about the same as they have always been, too high. You know, 35 kids in a classroom is really a hard thing. But teachers who have the ability to relate to kids and to have rapport and you know they will always teach well. I think professional development has given teachers who maybe struggle a little bit with curriculum some helps. And I have seen that and that is great. I do not know if kids nowadays are better educated when they graduate from high school than they were 30, 35, 40 years ago. I could be wrong, but I think the test scores over time are pretty level. I do not think there has been spikes or real down times. Although during the pandemic, I know there were some real problems that we had with our achievement test scores.

Ryan Harding: What things do you think are solvable?

Donna Barnes: It really does come down to individuals. It is that teacher that really focuses and really cares that makes a difference. But you want to mass produce that right? How do you mass produce those good teachers? I do not know. Things to think about. I think that and I even hate to say this. In School of Rock, that Jack Black movie, there is a line in there and he says, "Those who can do and those who cannot teach." And that really bugged me for a long long time. And I think that that is not altogether true, but I do think sometimes that is true.

Ryan Harding: There is a discussion at large on a national level with education. Are we really preparing students for careers?

Donna Barnes: I see that trend. I see with my own kids and grandkids. I had one grandson who was really a smart kid. And he went to the University of Utah. And he was majoring in rhetoric. That was not my choice for him. But he was very good verbally. And with vocabulary and all of those things. But he could not see a future. What job do you get with that? Actually, right now he is an editor for Wild Fowl magazine. And doing fine. But at that time I thought, "Oh, Frederick." But he quit his education at the U. And he came home once and he says, "You know, grandma, I am not getting an education. I am getting an indoctrination." And that kind of surprised me. And he saw some of his professors as people who did not share his same value system. And that troubled him a little bit. And he was paying a lot of money. He was on partial scholarship. He was helping with the softball team, but he thought, I do not need to come here and have people tell me things that I do not really want to believe.

Donna Barnes on Lehi Farming, Education, and Reviving the Lehi Free Press