So it hit me about 3 a.m. – this is when I usually wake up and start thinking of things – that it would be a wonderful idea to propose and support an outing to the Bronx Zoo for the newly rejuvenated Bishop Maginn High School science class.

I’ll propose it to Principal Mike Tolan this week. The science class just got it’s first new microscopes (thanks, Army Of Good), and they would love a trip to the zoo, two-and-a-half hours away in the Bronx.

The zoo has special rates for students – about $12 a person. The big expense on these trips (we’ve funded several) is always the bus. They can’t use school buses for longer trips like that, they have to hire an outside bus which costs about $1,000 per day at the least.

Tickets and food will be much less. If not for the bus, we could do it quickly.

It’s been a long time since the school-sponsored an outing like that. I can’t think of a better place for science students to go. The zoo emphasizes environmental issues and animal conservation.

I’m going to talk to Mike Tolan about it this week and ask for his approval. If he says yes, I’ll start planning for a Science Class outing to the Bronx Zoo in the Spring of 2020. I’ll go along, and perhaps Maria will also.

I’d love to see these students get the kind of experience I had,  to see the remarkable creatures in a close approximation of their native habitat. It could open a lot of doors and windows for them.

I’m not raising any money now for this trip, first I have to get the school’s approval, and then I need to call the zoo and get some more precise details. I’m sure I can do this for under $2,000. And we would ask the kids to help raise some small portion of the money. That’s something they would want to do.

Stay tuned. If you think you might want to help me pay for this, you can e-mail at [email protected]. I’ll keep your name on file. But this is just a heads-up. I’ve got to get approval first.  Stay tuned.