Two County Educators Nominated for National Award

MAY 21, 2025 |

Photo – Joel Robertson and Melissa Spaulding – Courtesy National Life Group

Carbon County School District One School Resource Officer Joel Robertson has been nominated for the National Life Changer Award.

Founded in 1848, National Life Group is a Vermont-based financial services company providing life insurance, annuities, and investment products with a focus on serving educators.

Every year, the National Life Group sponsors the National Life Changer of the Year Award. Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken announced this year, School Resource Officer Deputy Joel Robertson was anonymously nominated for the national award.

Deputy Robertson is one of only 178 individuals from 32 states who have been nominated for the 2025 through 2026 Life Changer of the Year Award.

Deputy Robertson joined the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office in 2023 after serving with various law enforcement agencies in the state, including the Department of Corrections and the Rawlins Police Department.

Sheriff Bakken said during his time with the Rawlins PD, Deputy Robertson served as the School Resource Officer for Carbon County School District One, which made him the logical choice to fill the position when the Sheriff’s Office launched its own School Resource Officer program.

Sheriff Bakken praised Deputy Robertson for consistently exceeding expectations in his duties. The Sheriff mentioned an instance when Deputy Robertson arranged for first responders to attend the birthday of a physically disabled Rawlins Middle School student, demonstrating why his nomination is well deserved.

Sheriff Bakken said Deputy Robertson also volunteers as a youth sports coach in Rawlins and regularly participates in Camp POSTCARD, where 5th and 6th graders spend a week on Casper Mountain building positive relationships with law enforcement officers.

While many view law enforcement as just a job, Sheriff Bakken said Deputy Robertson is truly dedicated to serving the community.

Sheriff Bakken said Deputy Robertson’s National Life Changer of the Year nomination was well deserved and came as no shock given his dedication to the community. Being the first School Resource Officer in the history of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office adds even more significance to the nomination.

National Life Changer of the Year Award grand prize winners receive $20,000, split evenly between a $10,000 individual cash award and a $10,000 donation to the winner’s school or district of choice. Sheriff Bakken said if he wins, Deputy Robertson has pledged to donate the entirety of his winnings to Rawlins sports programs.

Deputy Roberston isn’t the only educator in Carbon County to receive a Life Changer of the Year nomination. Saratoga Elementary School Special Education Teacher Melissa Spaulding is also competing for the national award. Spaulding was nominated by her colleague, Kindergarten Teacher Jaimie Lee, who wrote the Special Education Teacher is an exceptional educator who goes above and beyond for all her students and colleagues. Lee stated Spaulding is kind, compassionate, and very knowledgeable about special education law and accommodation, which she uses to help her students succeed.

National Life Changer of the Year Award winners are selected by a committee made up of past winners and higher education professionals, evaluating nominees based on their positive impact on students, ability to foster a supportive school environment, leadership within their school, and commitment to excellence. Additionally, the nominee whose community demonstrates the most support receives a $5,000 Life Changer Spirit Award.

Bigfoot99 will include a link to both School Resource Officer Deputy Joel Robertson and Saratoga Elementary School Special Education Teacher Melissa Spaulding’s National Life Changer of the Year nomination pages in this story when it is posted to our website later today. Once on either page, people can choose to write a comment explaining the positive impact the nominee has had on their lives or support the nominee by tagging LifeChanger of the Year on social media using #LCOY. Voting ends on December 31st, 2025.

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School Resource Officer Deputy Joel Robertson: https://app.lifechangeroftheyear.com/nomination_detail.cfm?NominationID=24317&NominationYear=2025&SchoolState=WY

Saratoga Elementary School Special Education Teacher Melissa Spaulding: https://app.lifechangeroftheyear.com/nomination_detail.cfm?NominationID=24311&NominationYear=2025&SchoolState=WY