Tall Ships Honors Excellence in Sail Training and Sail Trainer at Living Classrooms Foundation
Tall Ships America has awarded Living Classrooms Foundation’s Maritime Education Program with the National Maritime Excellence Sail Training Program of the Year and Lady Maryland Captain Laura “LP” Page with Sail Trainer of the Year. The awardees were recognized at an awards ceremony during the annual Sail Training and Tall Ships conference held this year in San Diego, CA.
Tall Ships America’s mission is to encourage character building through sail training, promote sail training to the North American public, and support education under sail. Since 1985, Living Classrooms Foundation’s maritime education programs, aboard the world‘s only pungy schooner Lady Maryland, skipjack Sigsbee, and Chesapeake Bay buyboat Mildred Belle, have provided thousands of students with “learning by doing” programs that emphasize applied learning of math, science/STEM, history, language arts, and leadership skills and range in length from one-day expeditions for school and youth groups to extended overnight, shipboard, and land/sea programs. Participants experience first-hand how academic skills are used in the real world.
“Living Classrooms is proud of Captain LP and our entire maritime education team for receiving this national recognition from Tall Ships America for their important work,” said president and CEO James Piper Bond. “For 40 years, these programs have provided impactful hands-on learning experiences for school and youth groups from throughout the Baltimore and Maryland region.”
Every year, the Captain Frank Bailey National Maritime Excellence Fund Sail Training Program of the Year recognizes a current Tall Ships America program that significantly contributes to the development of seamanship, navigation skills, teamwork, and leadership skills. Living Classrooms Foundation’s inaugural Francis J. Carey, Jr. Maritime Adventure overnight programs flourished in 2025 aboard Lady Maryland and Sigsbee, serving more than 9000 students of all ages from Baltimore City, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and 10 Maryland counties. Fifty-three percent of students served come from Title I schools.
The Sail Trainer of the Year honors a member of the Tall Ships America community who has made a significant contribution to sail training through the demonstration of leadership by means of empowerment and inspiration. An important member of Living Classrooms’ maritime education team for a decade, having taken command of the flagship Lady Maryland in 2025, Captain Laura “LP” Page oversaw the delivery of a successful educational season sailing with thousands of area students and leading a total of 96 onboard programs. The last time Living Classrooms received the Sail Trainer of the Year award was in 1996 to Captain Chris Rowsom, who now spearheads Sail250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore (June 24-30).
Based in Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC, Living Classrooms Foundation’s mission is to strengthen communities and inspire children, youth, and adults to achieve their potential through hands-on education, workforce development, health and wellness, and community safety programs that use urban, natural, and maritime resources as “living classrooms.”
For more information, visit livingclassrooms.org.
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