Sharing science

Now, this is a trait of a great science teacher. It’s not just about the students in the classroom. Three cheers for Bart Thomas.

For the second year in a row, the Naples High School teacher is sharing a science lesson with the public. Today he is setting up filtered telescopes and other gear on the north side of the campus media center to safely witness the planet Mercury pass in front of the sun.

This is to take place at precisely 2:12 p.m.

If you miss it today, according to a Collier County Public Schools press release, the next such transit of Mercury won’t occur until May 9, 2016.

Thomas earns an A on multiple levels, mostly for being so passionate about his field and wanting to share it with others on and off campus.

There is so much know-how and expertise in local classrooms, we wish there were a forum — the school system’s cable TV channel, perhaps? — to showcase it regularly.

For now, we thank and salute Bart Thomas for reaching higher in more ways than one.