When the students at Three Tree Montessori School in Burien saw the smoke billow in the sky, they knew they had to do something.

From the playground, they saw the medic vans, fire trucks and blocked road. March 5 will forever be etched in their minds.

The students would soon learn that the nearby charred house behind Sylvester Middle School was home to Deanna and Hal Buckley and their children.

Deanna was a familiar face at the school. Days earlier, she had visited to explore placing her 9-year-old daughter, Morgan in the school.

Deanna and Hal also have 19-month old Sara, and 61/2-month-old Erin.

Sixth-grader Ebru Lettic, 11-year-old Marjorie Roux, and Jackson Guilfoil, age 9, soon came up with an idea.

What they would accomplish with their fellow students and parents would have a tremendous impact on this local family whose home was gutted by fire. It would prove to be the ultimate act of selflessness. It is the stuff of which heroes are made.

Students quickly initiated a large donation drive. They unleashed their creativity by making large, colorful signs.

The school office housed the items for the family.

Lettic is quick to tell others, "We like to help people."

Students gave $200 to the Buckley family, which they gathered from their "Pizza Friday" collection. Clothes were donated. The students called local businesses, soliciting donations and parents of students donated gift cards.

Gift cards from Target, Fred Meyer and other stores were presented to the family.

A heaping basket of baby items was much needed, as was the many boxes of diapers.

Jackson remembers the task of moving those seemingly endless boxes of 250 count diapers by observing, "You'd be surprised how heavy a pack of Huggies can be."

Ebru will never forget the extraordinary expression on Deanna's face when she arrived and saw the donations.

"You could just see the joy in her face," Marjorie recalls. "It made me feel just really good to see her face. She sort of blushed."

Jackson remembers how he felt when the donations were given and explains, "Helping other people who need it makes you feel good. A person who's had something bad happen will go on and help someone else."

The Buckleys initially fled to a temporary location in Renton. Home is now at Deanna's mother's residence in Lake Forest Park.

Currently, the family is understandably unsettled. With their former home bulldozed to the ground, life is a struggle. Morgan continues to attend Gregory Heights Elementary in Burien-- carpooling the long distance with his dad each day.

Hal drops Morgan off, then heads to his job in Kent. They had hoped to be accepted into the Habitat for Humanity program. However, they missed the annual orientation deadline. Their dream is to locate an affordable house with at least three bedrooms.

Deanna is better able to maintain a positive attitude because so many people helped.

"They were sweet," Deanna noted. "They made cards and raised money selling pizzas.

"They donated money they had been raising for a playground. I didn't know this at first. We want to thank everyone and the community for a lot of generosity. For now, we've put it in God's hands."

An account has been established for the Buckley family at Sterling Savings and Loan in Burien.

As for Ebru, Marjorie and Jackson, they do not think of themselves as heroes. They believe giving is limitless.

Despite all that was donated, Marjorie still wonders if they did enough to help.

Then, she remembers that others are helping the Buckley family, too.

She smiles when she thinks of the Buckleys using their donations and being safe."

"We know whatever situation they're in now, we helped them get there," Marjorie concludes.