Sometimes the most teachable moments extend far beyond the classroom — as demonstrated by the recent kindness of Steve Culbert, a fourth grade teacher at Gates Elementary in Davidson, Michigan, a suburb of Flint.

Culbert had planned on taking both of his daughters to their school’s annual father-daughter dance. But he decided to invite a pair of sisters, Avery and Alivia Reece, to go along as well.

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The two sisters had been students of Culbert’s when he was a second grade teacher at the school.

Sadly, they lost their dad, Luke Reece, to a sudden illness just two weeks before the event, as CBS News reported.

“I tell all of my students right from the get go, right from day one: When you start building a relationship with them, they’re like family,” Culbert told the outlet. “I get to know my students. I get to know their families.”

True to form, Culbert said he got to know the Reece family and was saddened to hear the girls’ father had become ill in September.

Luke Reece had a medical condition that led to multiple blood clots. At the end of August, a blood clot caused cardiac arrest — and the father was hospitalized, according to multiple sources.

“I got to know him,” Culbert said of the students’ dad. “I asked [his wife] Shelley if I could visit him in the hospital.”

Culbert went to see the family at the hospital and brought gifts from other teachers at the school.

“It was just really unsettling” to see lying “there” in the hospital bed, he said.

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After suffering the loss of his own brother from cancer in 1984, Culbert said that he knew what it meant to empathize with others.

“When I got home that night, they had just announced the date [of] the daddy-daughter dance a few weeks later. At the time I thought, ‘Luke won’t be coming home in time,'” Culbert told CBS News.

He thought of a plan to give Avery and Alivia the daddy-daughter dance they deserved. And fortunately, his own two daughters were on board with it.

That same day, the father of the other girls was taken off life support.

He passed away about two weeks before the dance.

“I wasn’t necessarily trying to be a father figure, just someone they knew that they could turn to,” Culbert told Fox News. “They have a great family. Their dad was their everything.”

Culbert’s kind gesture seemed to spur others toward acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.

The limo company gave him a break on the price. A beautician donated her time to give the Reece girls manicures and to style their hair. One parent at the school chipped in to buy the Reece sisters dresses for the dance — while another parent purchased corsages for all four girls.

On the day of the dance, Culbert and his daughters whisked Alivia and Avery in a glamorous limo.

A recent Facebook post reads: “Thank you to Mr. Culbert, his daughters and the community for giving these donor family daughters a memorable night with a special tribute to their father, Luke Reece.”

The final touch was a befitting tribute to the deceased dad: four heart-shaped balloons the Culberts bought for the big day.

They attached small tags to the balloon strings with “#BeLikeLuke” written on them.

The homage is almost certainly something the man’s daughters will never forget. “Luke was an organ donor and helped up to 65 people after his death. Somebody already has his eyes,” Culbert told CBS News. “They can see because of him.”

In the meantime, Culbert continues to help the Reece family in its time of need with a GoFundMe campaign.

Others have clearly noticed.

A recent Facebook post reads: “Thank you to Mr. Culbert, his daughters and the community for giving these donor family daughters a memorable night with a special tribute to their father, Luke Reece.”

And check out this video:

Elizabeth Economou is a former CNBC staff writer and adjunct professor. Follow her on Twitter.