By Andy Brack, editor and publisher  |  The letter from my daughter’s longtime piano teacher gave a start.  

“After being in the classroom for 31 years and working with children and youth for another nine-plus years, I have decided to retire at the end of this year,” wrote Debra Benson, who teaches at Charleston County School of the Arts (SOA).  “As one of my colleagues said, ‘I have never worked as hard as I do at SOA’ but every minute has been rewarding because of the students we serve.”

For six years, Mrs. Benson has been a steady influence, a reassuring fixture in our family’s life.  It’s hard to imagine her not being at SOA during my daughter’s senior year.