In the breezeway at Alta Heights Elementary School a poster is scrawled with messages to Matthew Castanon, the 12-year-old boy who died in a house fire with his family early Monday morning.

Students in his class have moved his desk near the ball box so that every time they pick up a ball, they will remember the boy who loved to play four-square at recess.

“That’s probably one of my favorite memories,” said Alta Heights Principal Frank Silva, recalling the time spent battling Castanon and his fellow students on the four-square court during recess.

“I can picture him right now with his smile,” he said.

Castanon died Monday morning when a blaze at his grandmother’s house on Vale Avenue took his life and killed his 4-year-old brother Giovanni Mendez, grandmother Aurora Castanon and her longtime boyfriend, Eutimio Torres.

All but Matthew were found dead at the scene. He was pulled from the burning home and rushed to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

When a tragedy of this magnitude hits, recovering from it becomes a school’s “number one priority,” said Silva.

“As soon as we had confirmation of Matthew’s passing … we all met on campus and started responding to this tragedy,” he said. “We informed the staff of the loss in the morning, and it was taken pretty hard. After informing the staff, we then made a plan to present the tragedy — the loss — to the fourth- and fifth-grade students.”

A team of district officials and community members, including school psychologists and Napa Fire and Police Chaplain Lee Shaw, met with students to help them through the grieving process.

“Students were given the opportunity to express themselves in pictures and writing,” said Silva. One-on-one support was also available for children who were hit particularly hard by the loss, he said.

“They were also talked to about what they can do to support the family,” said Silva, “and that made the kids feel really empowered.”

The next day, the school put up a poster in the breezeway in memory of Castanon.

Silva said the school plans to dedicate a tree and plaque on campus to Castanon’s memory. In addition to the community vigil held Wednesday night, the school will host a remembrance at a later date.

Silva said he also wants to “thank all of the community groups from everywhere and the district for responding and providing us support. … It’s been overwhelmingly wonderful the support we’ve received.”

Counselors are available at the school for students and staff, he said, and Hospice of Napa Valley counselors will visit once a week “to support those students to help them through the grieving process.”

“The students are doing pretty well,” said Silva, though “some students we still are watching closely.”

“As time goes on, this will be easier to manage,” he said. For the time being, Silva said his goal is to “help all the individuals in the community grieve while balancing that with getting back to everyday routines.”

“Everyday routines do help our students heal,” he said.

A funeral Mass for the family is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 960 Caymus St., Napa.

Those who wish to donate to the family for funeral expenses may do so by contributing to the Castanon Memorial Fund at Redwood Credit Union, 1705 First St., Napa. Info, Emily Rocha, Redwood Credit Union, at (800) 478-7928.

“For anybody in the community that would like to support the family, they would greatly appreciate any financial support,” said Silva.

“Matthew was a wonderful kid with a great smile and a warm peace about him,” he said, adding, “We will miss him greatly.”