Martina Dunford

Martina Dunfordheraldsun.com: Take 5: Coach D turns mess into message
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DURHAM -- Martina Dunford suddenly found herself in the news last month when word broke that the Durham Public Schools was planning to cut ties with New Horizons, the alternative school she founded in 1998 to help students who had fallen through the school system's cracks.After coming under sharp criticism for the decision, DPS officials said last week that they would continue to work with the program and said it served a vital role by teaching students barred from public school campuses while serving long-term suspensions.

Dunford, -- or "Coach D," as she is known to just about everyone she comes in contact with -- grew up in the housing projects of Norfolk, Va.She says helping a few of the hundreds of students suspended from Durham schools each year is a calling from God.

The Herald-Sun: Has anything positive come from being in the news so much?

Dunford: Yeah.
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Dunford: That these kids have no hope.
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Dunford: (laughs) I think they kind of like me OK.I beat 'em up, throw 'em out and cuss 'em out and they still come back, so they must be getting something out of the deal.

H-S: Are there ever kids referred to you whom you don't think you can help?

Dunford: Yeah.
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Dunford: It's not difficult for me because I love what I do.