By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
In a freshly painted baby blue classroom at the end of the hall, Crim Elementary students are encouraged to “throw kindness around like confetti.”
The Bowling Green school has become the first in Wood County to open a “Kindness Room.” Like math multiplication tables, kindness sometimes needs a little nudge to become an automatic skill, said Crim Principal Zeb Kellough.
“We have to teach kids how to be kind,” Kellough said earlier this week after the Kindness Room was opened to students.
The special room – the 23rd of its kind in the region – is part of the Luken T. Boyle Campaign for Kindness founded by Samantha Boyle in memory of her son, Luken.
Luken was a sweet soul, who would find the lonely person in the room and befriend them. He played football, basketball and baseball, was an altar boy and in choir. Luken loved to fish and catch frogs. He rode bikes with neighborhood kids. And he was excited about attending Central Catholic High School and playing on the golf team.
Then in 2017, at the age of 14, Luken took his life following a cyberbullying incident. Despite never having displayed mental health struggles or signs of bullying, Luken became the victim of a cruel cyberbullying prank orchestrated by someone he trusted.
The devastating loss became the driving force behind his mom’s advocacy and action – fostering a culture of kindness, empathy, and hope among youth. Boyle defines kindness as doing something good without expecting anything in return.
In 2018, with the help of her family, Boyle founded the Luken T. Boyle Campaign for Kindness in honor of her son’s memory. Through this nonprofit, she and her family have dedicated their lives to promoting kindness, preventing cyberbullying/bullying, and advancing suicide prevention efforts.
At the heart of the campaign’s work is the creation of Kindness Rooms—safe spaces in schools where students can reflect, reset, and intentionally engage in acts of kindness toward others.
The Kindness Room at Crim has a fresh coat of blue paint, new round tables and chairs, and is stocked full of supplies – all donated in honor of Luken. Snapshots of Luken as a baby, elementary student, and teenager adorn the room.
“We have a lot of high need students. A lot of them have gone through trauma,” Kellough said. “Sometimes you start peeling back those layers. A lot of them are looking for love and acceptance.”
That means some students first need to learn what it means to be kind and how to mend relationships through restorative justice and forgiveness.
“It’s a skill. Let’s learn to be kind,” Kellough said.
Kindness Rooms serve a dual purpose. They’re a safe space for students to decompress, reflect, and reset, but they’re also hubs for creating tangible acts of kindness—whether that’s writing encouraging notes, crafting small gifts for peers, or contributing to community projects.
The room is supplied with items that can help students show kindness – cards, crafts, stencils, markers, ribbons and stamping tools. The foundation created by Boyle will restock when needed.
The Crim teachers overseeing the program are Tami Matney and Jillian Pellek, with assistance from Marybeth Ellison. The program is open to any students in second grade or older.
Boyle’s advocacy doesn’t stop with Kindness Rooms. She shares Luken’s story through speaking engagements, school visits, and community events. Her candid conversations about mental health, bullying, and online behavior have opened doors for discussions around issues often shrouded in stigma. She believes in the power of teaching empathy at a young age, emphasizing that adults must model kindness both online and offline, as young people are always watching.
Earlier this spring, Boyle spoke to BGHS students and to Crim and Kenwood fifth graders about anti-bullying, spreading kindness, and the importance of open conversations around mental health. She emphasized the need to remove the shame and silence surrounding mental health struggles.
Kellough said the Kindness Room carries on the ongoing efforts at Crim Elementary, such as the existing programs of Club Smile and Bobcat leaders. The Bobcat ambassadors lead by example, and the Club Smile group meets after school to bring smiles to others.
“They find ways they can help make our community and our school a happier place,” he said.
A long list of ideas hangs on the chalkboard, such as crocheting washcloths, making cards for hospital patients, providing lemonade to teachers, picking up trash, and tutoring other students.
“If there are other opportunities where our kids can help, we’re all about that,” Kellough said. “The need is there. And here we have a lot of able-hearted kids.”
And as a sign in the Kindness Room suggests, “In a world where you can be anything … be kind.”
