LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Nikki Bloom was nominated by her principal, Tyler Bartlett.

The past ten months have been disruptive and challenging for people across the globe.  Perhaps no field, save the health care industry, has been more negatively impacted by the events of 2020 than the world of education.  Students and teachers were stuck at home all spring, disconnected from each other and locked out of the safe place they count on each day.  As school started up again this fall, teachers, students, and parents had more questions than answers: will we be in-person or online?  What will it look like?  Who will be here to support me?

Throughout this demanding experience, Newcastle Middle School and its students were helped greatly by Mrs. Bloom. Her steady hand and kind heart guided students through the unknown, even though she has been navigating it all for the first time herself.

"She has always been a consistent, encouraging, and supportive voice in our hallways, but I was blown away at how quickly she adapted to provide that same assistance in unprecedented situations," said Bartlett.

The last day of in-person school for Weston County during the 2019-2020 school year was Friday, March 13th. That Sunday evening, school was called off for Monday. By the following night, school had been closed for the next two weeks. The spring was spent with announcements from state officials every 2-3 weeks, further extending the remote learning experience, all the way through the end of the year. 

"As an administrator, I was unsure of what to do. As a school counselor, Nikki got to work," said Bartlett. "Within two weeks of being virtual, Mrs. Bloom had begun arranging check-ins and virtual counseling sessions.  She called home to speak with students and parents to make sure everyone was well, and she even began scheduling counseling sessions online for students in need."

Additionally, Mrs. Bloom worked with other counselors in her district to continue the Totes of Hope operation that provides meals to students who are food insecure.  Typically, these deliveries happen at the end of the day on Friday when learning is held in-person, but Mrs. Bloom and her colleagues helped arrange drop off locations throughout the community to make sure hungry students were fed, even when school is closed.

This fall, the community has been fortunate enough to enjoy in-person learning throughout the school year. However, several students and staff have had to stay home, either due to being sick with COVID-19 or due to being under quarantine orders.  In the spring, it was a challenge to be stuck at home, but it’s a whole different level of difficulty for a 12-year-old child to be stuck at home while their friends and classmates are at school learning with a teacher and enjoying the fun that comes with being in middle school. One student has even had to work remotely from home the entire year because a family member is immunocompromised. 

Once again, Mrs. Bloom came up with a plan to help these students in isolation.  She arranges for virtual lunches with friends that take place in her office.  Students who are stuck at home are able to connect via online video to “eat lunch with their friends.”

"One day, she told me a group of boys was having a burping contest over their lunch," said Bartlett. "This solution may seem simple in hindsight, and a burping contest over a video stream might seem unnecessary or even inappropriate, but if you know anything about middle school boys, it's just what they need in a year like this.  I’m so proud of her creativity in solving a problem, and I’m so thankful she continues to do whatever it takes to make the students in and out of our building feel safe, supported, and cared for."

"Nikki Bloom is an outstanding candidate for LifeChanger of the Year," said Bartlett. "I know this because I know how many lives she has positively changed here in Newcastle, Wyoming."