Debra DiBenedetto, a second-grade teacher at San Rafael’s Dixie Elementary School, was fatally struck while riding a bicycle on Monday night in Woodacre. The driver, 24-year-old Paula Drake, a Fairfax resident and waitress, was arrested on DUI allegations. Both she and Ms. DiBenedetto had been traveling west on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at around 5:30 p.m. when Ms. Drake’s S.U.V. veered onto the right shoulder, striking the bicyclist near Railroad Avenue. Though Ms. DiBenedetto had been wearing a helmet, it was knocked off in the collision. She was discovered in a ditch and transported to Marin General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Ms. Drake has been charged with felony intoxicated driving and gross vehicular manslaughter, and is in custody on $500,000 bail. Friends and colleagues are meanwhile mourning the death of Ms. DiBenedetto, who was known for her commitment to the environment, and creating an outdoor classroom eight years ago to teach students about native flora and fauna. In an email to the Light, Dixie School superintendent Jason Yamishiro said Ms. DiBenedetto “cared deeply about her students and about learning in the natural environment—the outdoor classroom. She helped lead students and community in restoring the creek near the school. Debra’s death is a tremendous loss for her students, her school, her district, and the greater community.”