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Kevin Kimes
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
SCOTTVILLE — Kevin Kimes is passionate about keeping kids safe. After a three-decade career in education, most of it as an administrator, Kimes retired in July and is now a sales representative for a company that focuses on school safety.
Kimes, 54, of Riverton Township, has been a principal at Mason County Central School District for the past 19 years, first as middle school principal and then most recently as upper elementary principal. The 1989 graduate of MCC began his teaching career at Gladwin High School, then moved back to the area, teaching at Ludington High School. From there, he taught at Connections and helped form Journey High School, an alternative school jointly operated by Ludington Area School District and MCC.
Kimes now works for Lock Out USA, the company that created the SmartBoot School Lockdown System, known commonly as the “boot,” that was installed in every school building in Mason County in 2015 and 2016. Kimes was one of the administrators who led the way to purchase the boots that secure doors. The system was purchased through a $175,000 fund raising campaign led by Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole and the non-profit Friends of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.
“For years I would stare out my office window and contemplate that I was the first person charged with protecting over 400 children and dozens of adults every single day,” Kimes said. “When we discovered the boot system, it provided an extra layer of protection and some peace of mind to our students and staff along with myself.”
The boot was invented by Rob Couturier after his daughter was in college and was attacked while running. The attacker had barricaded himself in a room while Couturier attempted to enter him. Couturier couldn’t get in because the man held his feet at the bottom of the door, and that’s where he got the idea. Once initiated, the boot can withstand 16,000 pounds of force.
Today, Couturier is the president of the company and his daughter, Brennan Woodruff, is CEO. Lock Out USA is based in Fowlerville in southeast Michigan.
Kimes’s passion goes beyond assuring the safety of the masses. He is equally as passionate about protecting the safety of the individual.
“It is invaluable for these children to know that every single one of them was created perfectly beautiful,” Kimes said. “I believe if we can instill that assurance into our youth, we would create a world that is much safer and kinder.”
As a principal at the MCC Upper Elementary building, which houses grades three through five, Kimes developed an anti-bullying campaign. Every fall the students would gather for an assembly where Kimes would teach the children how to handle a bullying situation. The assemblies would includes skits performed by the students and would feature a song written and sung by Kimes, accompanied by other teachers. He even wrote a book about anti-bullying, “The Moment Time Stood Still,” published in 2019.
In his new job, Kimes will take his anti-bullying and school safety message to schools throughout the region. He said he is working with a team that will hold the MCC-style assemblies in many schools.
“Our goal is to get this concept in front of every school in the state,” Kimes said. “Bullying is a foundation to violence and if we can prevent it at a young age, it will make our schools safer.”
Kimes said the work of Lock Out USA is not limited to schools. He said he has already visited with municipalities and churches as well. But, protecting children is his life’s work.
“This is my greatest passion, keeping kids safe,” he said. “It’s just the most beautiful thing to be able to combine my love of music, art, and education into this new career.”
This story is presented by Hankwitz Heating & Cooling, 609 S. Washington Ave., Ludington; 231-843-2809
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