“I have a few kids ... she helps me keep up to date, keep them up with their assignments. It’s easier for them to have that one on one attention,” 6th grade science teacher Brooke Lejeune said. “It would be more difficult without her here.”

Jones said Darks is highly respected by the teachers and students she works with and “provides an environment for the students where they aren’t afraid to try and tackle challenging assignments.”

“After her four hours each day as a foster grandparent you may find C Ella on a Saturday morning in the rain walking to assist those suffering from Lupus as she did during the Babineaux family walk-a-thon,” Jones wrote in her nomination letter. “She takes time reading to children in her neighborhood. She will purchase tickets and take children from the neighborhood to school sports events so they will have the opportunity to attend.”

Darks’ latest project is a bible club for the students at Edison, something she just implemented. She plans on bringing the club members to nursing homes during the holidays.

Darks is the mother to four children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.