Correspondent photo / Sean Barron Students, teachers and staff dressed in white T-shirts fill the Boardman Glenwood Junior High School gym Thursday to support Levi Kulikowsky, a seventh grader who is battling a rare type of leukemia. On their shirts is the inscription, “Stand strong with Levi.”

BOARDMAN — One day, Levi Kulikowsky hopes to be an architect, but for now, he’s focused on building a sound and solid return to health.

“We’re very appreciative of all the support we got,” Laura Kulikowsky, the seventh grade Boardman Glenwood Junior High School student’s mother, said.

Her appreciation has several sources that include the community support for, and rallying around, Levi, who was diagnosed last year with a rare type of leukemia. Another pillar of gratitude for her is the amount of money that has been raised — and is continuing to be donated — to help defray medical and other related costs.

The support aspect was perhaps most evident during a special pep rally Thursday morning in the gym, at which many students, teachers and staff wore white T-shirts on which was inscribed, “Stand strong with Levi.”

So far, the effort has brought in $8,927.48, about $2,700 of which was raised from T-shirt sales, Principal Laura McCreery noted.

Levi’s journey began with a revelation that his hemoglobin level was low and his white blood cell count was in excess of 200,000 (the normal range for a 12- or 13-year-old is between 4,500 and 13,500). In addition, he tested positive for influenza A, but was not getting better, which led to a pediatrician discovering the low hemoglobin count, Kulikowsky explained.

Afterward, it was discovered Levi had what’s called a Philadelphia-like chromosome, which is commonly found in the bone marrow cells of those who have several types of leukemia. Levi was flown to Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron on Nov. 24, his mother said.

Today, Levi is taking continuous infusions at home for about 30 days, Kulikowsky noted, adding that he is improving, but struggling at times emotionally. In addition, her son likely won’t be able to return to school until at least the start of the 2026-27 school year, Kulikowsky said.

“He had a second bone marrow biopsy and is in remission, but he still has to go through all the chemotherapy,” she added.

OTHER MEANS OF SUPPORT

Besides his fellow students, Levi is receiving plenty of uplift, interventions and support from other corners. Those include physical and occupational therapy to strengthen his hands and legs, Kulikowsky said.

To ensure Levi stays caught up with his schooling, he is getting virtual academy learning as well as a tutor who meets with him several times weekly. In addition, he has received virtual music lessons to allow him to keep up with his love of playing and further tuning his proficiency on the alto and tenor saxophones. Also, the hospital has worked with him along those lines, Levi’s mother continued.

Levi, who Laura Kulikowsky described as “easygoing and mellow,” also is a huge fan of 2SAXY, a local duo consisting of renowned saxophonists Grace Kelly and Leo Pellegrino who are perhaps best known for their high-energy performances that often delve into funk, jazz and arrangements for other genres.

SCHOOL EFFORTS

“After we learned the news about his health, our advisory council team met and came up with the idea for this,” Eric Diefenderfer, a BGJHS seventh grade science teacher, said about the efforts to support Levi.

A core piece of such support was organizing the fundraiser for the family’s expenses, along with other special events that centered around Levi’s interests. One of those came from far beyond the school walls when Levi, who also is part of the seventh-grade band, was the recipient of a letter and care package from the Baltimore Ravens, his favorite football team, Diefenderfer added.

Another means of school support came in the form of dress-down days on Levi’s behalf, Diefenderfer continued.

Levi came to the school in August and was there only a few months before he was initially diagnosed with flu-like symptoms. When school officials later became aware of the challenges Levi faced, efforts got underway to support his family, who had financial concerns, McCreery recalled.

Also, the school PTA worked on the effort, she said, adding that 554 T-shirts had been sold, which brought in about $2,785.

In addition, other schools in the district have collaborated with BGJHS to assist Levi and his family, since they also are part of the larger Boardman family. One such fundraising effort was a half-court shootout event at Boardman High School, McCreery explained.

“This is a great community thing for us to raise money, because he’s one of us,” she added.