This spring, we began our 40th season of Maritime Education, with 90 fourth grade students from Baltimore City's Maree G. Farring Elementary School, setting sail aboard our pungy schooner Lady Maryland, skipjack Sigsbee, and Chesapeake Bay buyboat Mildred Belle. During Living Classrooms hands-on expeditions, students are crew members, marine biologists, boat drivers, engineers, and navigators as they learn the applied use of math, science, and engineering while exploring the history and culture of the Chesapeake watershed. 

Living Classrooms began in 1985, led by teachers Dennis O'Brien and Tom Shouldice, as an exciting hands-on learning project in which Baltimore students assisted professional boat builders to build our flagship, pungy schooner Lady Maryland. Living Classrooms' first full-time employee was President and CEO James Piper Bond.

In the four decades since the building of Lady Maryland, Living Classrooms has evolved by working with community members in Baltimore and Washington, DC to listen, understand, and address their specific priorities and aspirations for the future. With this feedback, we have developed diverse education, workforce development, health and wellness, and community safety programs that are resident-driven, innovative, and designed to support individuals and families in reaching their goals - particularly in communities that have faced longstanding barriers to resources and advancement.

Today, Living Classrooms Foundation serves over 25,000 people annually with our innovative and award-winning programs that take place in Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, DC, and the Chesapeake Bay region. We continue to learn, adapt, and grow as we address the changes, challenges, and successes of the communities we serve.

Living Classrooms' 37th Annual Maritime Magic Oct. 3rd

New Orleans-based DUMPSTAPHUNK to Headline

On Friday, October 3, 2025,

Living Classrooms will host our 37th annual Maritime Magic, which is the best annual benefit on the Baltimore waterfront, celebrating and supporting Living Classrooms Foundation's mission.

Over 2,500 guests will come to our waterfront campus in Fells Point for a celebration featuring delicious food and drinks all donated by Baltimore's top restaurants and caterers, as well as incredible music performed by New Orleans-based funk rock band Dumpstaphunk. Join our guests for a magical evening under the stars with a great crowd, lively music, and delicious food and drink, as we raise important funds to support and sustain Living Classrooms programming.

For sponsorship opportunities, please click here or contact Thara Taylor at thara@livingclassrooms.org.

Living Classrooms’ Girls Empowerment Mission (GEM) Program Celebrates 20 Years of Supporting Girls with the Tools They Need to Succeed

Founded by Debbi Weinberg, GEM is a Living Classrooms program that supports high school girls in building on their strengths and pursuing their goals through mentoring and meaningful growth experiences. The program nurtures confidence, leadership, and independence- equipping young women to thrive in school, work, and life. 100% of GEM girls graduate high school and enroll in college.

Check out this WBAL segment spotlighting GEM here!

On May 1st, we are excited to welcome award-winning journalist Katie Couric as the keynote speaker to the GEM Program's special event, BeDazzle, while also honoring the program's Founder and Visionary Debbi Weinberg. While the event is sold out, an anonymous donor has offered to match any contribution to the GEM Scholarship Fund up to $100,000. To learn more or donate, please visit www.gemmaryland.org.

Don't Miss the 4th Annual Living Classrooms Classic at the Historic Langston Golf Course

The 4th annual Living Classrooms Classic will take place on May 12th at Langston Golf Course in Northeast, DC. This landmark course was one of the first courses where black golfers could play.

Enjoy playing on this historic course along the Anacostia River and adjacent to Kingman Island, which is managed by Living Classrooms and is a wonderful site for our hands-on education programming. Please join this fun day of golf, great food and drinks, and awesome prizes you won't want to miss! Foursomes and sponsorship opportunities are still available and all proceeds support our programming in the National Capital Region.

Check out the Living Classrooms Classic Sponsorship Pack Here

Talib Horne is Elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees



We are thrilled to announce that Talib Horne has been appointed as the new Chairperson of Living Classrooms' Board of Trustees, succeeding Ron Peterson. Talib has served on Living Classrooms' Board for several years and brings important experience to the role. Talib serves as Director of the Baltimore Civic Site at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, leading initiatives to improve the well-being of youth and families. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and community development - including roles at Bon Secours Community Works, the East Harbor Community Development Center, Living Classrooms Foundation, and Ombudsmen Educational Services - Talib brings a deep commitment to expanding opportunity in under-resourced communities.

Living Classrooms extends our sincerest gratitude to outgoing Chairperson Ron Peterson for his dedicated service and leadership.

Living Classrooms' Customized Job Training Programs Prepare Individuals for In-Demand Careers

Across Baltimore and Washington, DC, Living Classrooms' hands-on job training programs are helping youth and adults gain valuable skills, secure employment, receive a year of after program support, and build brighter futures. Since launching our successful Fresh Start and Project SERVE programs working with adult and juvenile returning citizens more than 25 years ago, we have expanded our reach to include diverse customized job training that helps participants achieve their aspirations across a variety of employment fields.



• At our Bauer Workforce Opportunity Center located in Fells Point, 15 participants are learning construction skills through our 12-week training program that offers real-world experience in carpentry and electrical work. Trainees are currently building a mini shed inside the Center, where they’ll also practice wiring and electrical installation.
• Our Landscaping Program in East Baltimore is equally dynamic, with 13 participants spending three days a week in the classroom and two days actively beautifying neighborhoods around Johns Hopkins Hospital. Through these efforts, students are learning vital skills while making a visible, positive impact on their community.
• In partnership with H&S Bakery and Maryland DLLR Good Jobs Challenge, our Class C Mechanics Program has started its third cohort with 15 individuals enrolled. Sixty percent of graduates from our first two cohorts remain employed at H&S Bakery after one year and many have experienced pay increases as well as additional skill training during this time.
• We’re also excited to launch the next cohort of our Production, Warehouse, and Distribution Program this May, preparing 14 participants for careers in logistics and supply chain industries - both vital to our region’s economy - at Tradepoint Atlantic and throughout Baltimore.
• Through our CNA/GNA (Certified Nursing/Geriatric Nursing Assistant) Program, individuals are actively training for healthcare careers and being placed into jobs at local hospitals and nursing homes, helping to meet critical workforce needs while building personal career pathways. We have placed over 100 Dwyer Scholars into employment at hospitals and nursing homes.
• A brand new partnership with the Maryland Youth Detention Center takes our staff into the facility to provide cognitive behavioral therapy, construction skills training, and vocational education to help 12 youth prepare for reentering their communities.
• At the UA (Under Armour) House on Fayette first floor Weinberg Workforce Development Center, we offer daily walk-in services for resume support, interview preparation, ESL classes, access to our Identity Clinic (helping individuals obtain vital records needed for employment), and direct job placement assistance.
• On Kingman Island in Washington, DC, our Rangers and Junior Rangers programs are preparing young people for careers in green industries through outdoor, hands-on work experiences.
• Our Dent House Community Center in Southwest DC recently celebrated the graduation of a new cohort of our Hospitality Training Program, which provides participants with skills and certifications to pursue opportunities with employment partners like Bozzuto and Donohoe.

As our programs grow, we are always seeking new partnerships with second chance employers- or businesses committed to hiring individuals who are overcoming barriers to employment and seeking a fresh start. All of our workforce programs have a dual-customer model, where we work with the employer and employee to navigate any challenges. Living Classrooms' Case Managers provide at least one year of retention support for program graduates after job placement.

At Living Classrooms, we don't just offer training, we invest in people, partnerships, and our communities.