BENEFITING: LIVING CLASSROOMS FOUNDATION
After more than 15 years on the water serving thousands of youth and young adults with hands-on environmental STEM education our historic vessel, the Half Shell, is in need of major restorations including repairs to her hull, mast, and decks. Please help us save this cherished "living classroom" and keep Half Shell in the water so we can continue to serve disadvantaged area students with these important educational programs.
Half Shell is currently dry docked at Living Classrooms' headquarters and site of the first African-American owned shipyard in the country, the Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum in historic Fells Point, Baltimore. Our captain and crew will be working on the needed repairs throughout the winter but we need your help to complete this project. Please consider making a contribution to our effort to restore the Half Shell and continue our mission of serving disadvantaged youth and young adults throughout the Baltimore and Washington, DC region.
Please share your generosity toward this goal on social media so we can spread the word about this important historic vessel using the hashtag #SaveTheHalfShell. Feel free to stop by our campus to snap a selfie with her too! Together we can Save the Half Shell!
About the Half Shell: Half Shell is a historic 1928 Chesapeake Bay Buy Boat, bringing history to life for students on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. Docked in Washington, DC and operated by the crew of Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region, this historic ship serves students of all ages from private, public, and Title I schools from Northern Virginia, all Wards in DC, and parts of Maryland during one-day expeditions or extended land/sea programs.
Half Shell is one of four historic education vessels that make up Living Classrooms' fleet that also includes Schooner, Lady Maryland; Skipjack, Sigsbee; and fellow Chesapeake Buy Boat, Mildred Belle. Together, these "living classrooms" serve almost 10,000 students annually in our Shipboard Education Program, providing them with a unique opportunity for their classroom lessons to come alive and see how they are applied in the real world. Leadership and teamwork are key objectives as students work together to raise and lower sails, trawl for marine life, perform scientific tests, and explore the commerce, history, natural resources, and ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay, and Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.
In addition to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and environmental education, Half Shell is also used for language arts education during our "floating library" series where local youth are invited on board to read and share literature in a unique setting.
About Living Classrooms: Living Classrooms Foundation is a regional non-profit organization that strengthens communities and inspires young people to achieve their potential through hands-on education, job-training, and health & wellness programs, using urban, natural, and maritime settings as "living classrooms." Our effective programs serve youth, young adults, and families in Baltimore and Washington, DC and the surrounding metropolitan areas, and have a special emphasis on serving disadvantaged and at-risk populations. Living Classrooms has been proudly serving the community for over 30 years. For more information visit www.livingclassrooms.org.