ROCK HILL, S.C. — August 10, 2024, was the day family at Legion Collegiate Academy received a call that left them shattered.
The building sat in silence. But the hearts inside it screamed with grief.
"I wanted to see his team, they came and there were so many tears," said LCA principal Julie Marshall.
That day was the day a traffic accident in Kershaw County claimed the life of Jalen Benjamin, a teacher and baseball coach the school said is impossible to forget.
Now they're finding ways to remember, starting with their first home athletic event of the year.
"He didn’t miss volleyball games whenever we were open, so it was only appropriate he be here," said Marshall. "We are honoring him, so he is here."
"The thing that impressed me about Coach Benjamin is he always had this big smile on his face," said Michael Drummond, the athletic director at LCA. "His energy alone in the building made a big impact."
A school and a community are now returning the energy and love, attending the event covered in blue in his honor.
The staff says their goal is to continue to live like Benjamin.
"He spent his whole time with us constantly giving," said Marshall.
LCA has opened a memorial scholarship to do the same kind of giving he did, hoping to help students in need.
"That’s going to be his legacy and there will be kids that will go to college that may not be able to go to college," said Marshall.
"Through losing him, we will gain other things," she added.
The tragedy of losing Coach Benjamin now sparks a movement, a gift that keeps on giving.
"It’s a testimony to what he did and the lives he touched," said Marshall.
The school's goal is to raise at least $10,000 this fall to help provide a gateway to higher education.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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