Living Classrooms’ Operation Respond Program was recently honored with two national awards - from The Courage Project and Everytown for Gun Safety - recognizing our team’s role in reducing violence and demonstrating acts of bravery. Both The Courage Project and Everytown are also among the funders who have stepped up with support following the unexpected federal funding cut this spring.

Living Classrooms Operation Respond team is a vital component of Baltimore's Community Violence Intervention ecosystem that is contributing to the reduced homicides and violence in the East Baltimore Belair-Edison and McElderry Park neighborhoods. Our outreach workers and licensed clinical social workers provide trauma-informed care, employment training programs, and practical resources to help community members heal and move forward.  Due to our team's success, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and St. Louis have now modeled similar programs after Operation Respond.   

In April, nearly $1 million of committed, multiyear Department of Justice funding was unexpectedly cut from Operation Respond. Living Classrooms has embarked on an aggressive campaign to raise the funds needed to sustain this critical work. So far, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Johns Hopkins, the France-Merrick Foundation, the Maryland Department of Health, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, Everytown for Gun Safety, and The Courage Project have all stepped up with funding to help ensure Operation Respond is able to continue. These grants help us temporarily fill the funding gap, but we still have a ways to go. We still need to raise $500,000 to continue providing these life-changing services to our communities in 2026. With continued support, we can ensure Operation Respond remains a lifeline for individuals, families, and neighborhoods working toward safer, stronger, and more resilient futures.

In response to the recent need for food assistance across Baltimore and Washington, DC, Living Classrooms is increasing the amount of food available in our Free Food Pantries at our Crossroads School and UA House (both in Baltimore), and the Dent House Community Center (in Washington, DC) to ensure families have access to healthy meals. If you are interested in contributing food donations, please contact in Baltimore Maya Boyd at the UA House, Emily Rybicki at the Crossroads School, or in Washington, DC Kay Bonham at the Dent House.

As we continue celebrating our 40th year at Living Classrooms, we’re thrilled to share that 9,012 total participants have experienced hands-on science, math, history and economics, and helped operate three of our historic ships on education voyages this season! This fall has been especially active, with each vessel operating in Baltimore Harbor and bringing our programs to cities across the Chesapeake Bay region. 

Our Historic Chesapeake Buyboat, MILDRED BELLE spent the fall in Washington, DC and National Harbor, serving DC and Prince George's County students. A highlight was serving southern Maryland students with our War of 1812 programs, operating from Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum on the Patuxent River in Calvert County, MD. 

Our historic Skipjack, SIGSBEE ran 111 trips this year in Baltimore and made her annual pilgrimage to Philadelphia thanks to the Blue Sky Foundation, offering educational sails for hundreds of students and operating from the Independence Seaport Museum. Sigsbee also continued our long-standing partnership with St Ignatius of Loyola students, helping seed oysters along the 6-acre oyster bed surrounding Ft. Carroll. A highlight from this fall was attending the Skipjack Heritage Days event at Sandy Point State Park—a gathering of 15 skipjacks from around the Bay featuring deck tours, public sails and a skipjack race for the first time in 30 years. 



Our flagship, LADY MARYLAND had a very busy sailing season including week-long overnight trips with students sailing along the East Coast thanks to the Carey Foundation. Lady Maryland also placed 2nd in the AA-class of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race with ten Baltimore City College High School students sailing on the voyage. Lady Maryland's crew and students earned the Norfolk Rebel Education Trophy, and student Salaar Stevenson received the Young Mariner Award. The students had an amazing experience, and we are proud to continue our tradition of hands-on learning under sail during the Schooner Race! 

Creative Mentors Help Develop Musicians, Leaders, and Learners

Living Classrooms' Ascend Through Music Program gives young people meaningful opportunities to learn, create, and express themselves through music. Students explore every part of the music-making process - from songwriting and vocal technique to recording, production, and performance - while building confidence, discipline, and pride in their work.

A core part of the program is Solo Sessions, where students are paired one-on-one with a Creative Mentor who helps them develop their skills in areas such as piano, singing, guitar, music production, or songwriting. This fall, 16 students are working weekly with mentors, learning, practicing, and growing. We will begin recruiting new Mentors for the spring session in January. if you are interested in mentoring, please contact Christina Campbell.

USS Constellation Undergoes Milestone Rigging Restoration Project

At a press conference on November 6th, Living Classrooms Foundation announced the Historic Ships team in collaboration with skilled maritime riggers from around the country have begun the renovation of the standing and running rigging (everything above deck) on the USS Constellation. All of the rigging on this National Historic Landmark, including the lower masts, were carefully removed from the ship by a crane on a barge and placed under a covered work tent on Pier 1 on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. This project is essential as the rigging is central to the ship’s strength, integrity, and authenticity. 

Throughout the project, the Historic Ships education team will create a hands-on education and observation station on Pier 1 to allow students, residents, and visitors to observe skilled riggers at work using traditional maritime tools; learn about 19th-century shipbuilding and rigging practices; and connect to Baltimore’s shipyard heritage that was once alive with caulkers, riggers, and craftsmen. Our Crossroads School students spoke at the launch of this incredible project, highlighting the importance of students' access to Living Classrooms' Historic Ships as educational tools and links to Baltimore's history. 

Another key component of the project will be incorporating Living Classrooms’ workforce development programming, allowing participants to work alongside professionals, gaining work readiness skills while contributing to a major historic preservation effort. The three workforce development participants also spoke at the launch, expressing their excitement and gratitude to be a part of preserving the USS Constellation as a living symbol of maritime heritage.

This project will be completed just in time for the busy spring and summer visitor season as well as Sail250® Maryland & Airshow Baltimore Presented by Northrop Grumman taking place June 24-July 1, 2026.

Royal Farms 16th Annual Charity Golf Outing Supports Living Classrooms Programming

This fall, Living Classrooms Foundation was honored to receive a $100,000 donation from Royal Farms at their annual charity golf tournament. We are extremely grateful to Living Classrooms Trustee and Royal Farms CEO John Kemp for continuing to support and uplift our mission. This support directly impacts our hands-on education, workforce development, health & wellness, and community safety programs in our region.

We are grateful for the continued partnership and generosity!

Rhonda McLendon was born and raised in Baltimore City and currently works as the General Manager at Bozzuto Management in Washington, DC. Her connection to Living Classrooms began as a middle school student through the Ingenuity Project at Southeast Middle School, an intensive math and science enrichment initiative funded by the Abell Foundation. Living Classrooms partnered with the program to provide hands-on summer learning, including field-based science exploration, museum visits, and STEM activities that students could not access in their day-to-day classrooms.   

Rhonda remembers the program’s heavy focus on teamwork, discipline, responsibility, and giving back to the community. Rhonda found participating in the program highly motivating; it taught her discipline and that hard work pays off, “Everyone has a part in reaching the goal. If you put your head down and get things done, you will receive.” Rhonda believes programs like Living Classrooms Foundation's are vital to education in Baltimore and DC, providing opportunities for students to feel like they are part of something bigger and participate in new activities that may not be afforded to them in their neighborhoods and households.

After her time with Living Classrooms, Rhonda remained close friends with other participants of the program and found a passion for Business at Western High School. In 2002, she was introduced to property management and quickly discovered a field where her discipline and drive could shine. She has since earned multiple professional awards, including Property Manager of the Year and an NOI Growth Award. Rhonda is now focused on paying that experience forward by helping new talent grow.

Her connection to Living Classrooms continues, not just as a former participant, but as a volunteer and partner. Most recently, Rhonda and her Bozzuto colleagues spent the day with us at our Masonville Cove campus (the country's first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership), helping remove trash from the shoreline and restore a healthy urban habitat. Rhonda can be seen pictured above with Lorraine Andrews, Director of Living Classrooms' Masonville Cove Programming.

Tomorrow's Promise

Starts Today

Plan your legacy

Annual unrestricted and program-restricted gifts are critical to the work of Living Classrooms. However, you can help to ensure the future of Living Classrooms by considering a gift to the endowment in addition to your annual support. A robust endowment will give us the ability to strategically expand on the work we have done and plan for a promising future, even in periods of uncertainty.

We can help you with your charitable intentions and financial planning needs, including cash gifts, securities, real estate, deferred giving, and bequests. You can also designate Living Classrooms as a beneficiary in your life insurance plan to support the endowment.

For more information about making Living Classrooms a beneficiary of your estate plans, contact the Development Office at development@livingclassrooms.org.

Any action affecting your overall estate planning should be discussed with your financial advisor.