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Linda M. Hooper
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Linda M. Hooper is the Democratic candidate for the Marion County School Board, District 5 (Whitwell area), on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot, where she faces Republican Marie Layne 12. She was the only candidate on the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary ballot for the seat 3.
Career and office history
Hooper is a longtime Marion County educator. She served as principal of Whitwell Middle School and was previously director of curriculum for Marion County Schools, with more than three decades of experience in education 45.
Legislative record and accomplishments
As principal of Whitwell Middle School, Hooper launched the Paper Clips Project in 1998. What began as an eighth-grade Holocaust-education class taught by teachers Sandra Roberts and David Smith grew into a student campaign to collect one paper clip for each Holocaust victim; the effort ultimately gathered tens of millions of paper clips and led to the creation of the Children's Holocaust Memorial at Whitwell Middle School, which includes an authentic German rail car 456. The project drew international attention and was the subject of the 2004 documentary film "Paper Clips" 6.
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
Tennessee — campaign finance (search)
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State offices (Governor, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee, statewide judiciary) —
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Hooper”, and submit.
US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the FEC — see the federal section below. - County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — most major TN counties use the EasyVote portal. Select the relevant county and search by candidate name (“Hooper”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Hooper”and, if needed, select the applicable position.