TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUGUST 2015

• From the Editors
• Correspondence
• Contributors
• Kites in a Middle School Science Classroom CHRISTOPHER SKINNER
• Two Is Much Better Than One ALI FUJINO
• Open Sky, Open Mind WHITNEY RICHARDSON
• Tom Van Sant: Close Encounter of the Third Kind CHRIS YUENGLING-NILES
• Kite Aerial Photography: A Pivotal Turning Point in My Scientific Research OSCAR FREY
• Kite Safety Is Never Out of Date! SCOTT SKINNER

CORRESPONDENCE

Another excellent read!

CATHERINE GABREL
USA

Well, needless to say, I didn’t get done anything I had planned to do today [the day the new issue of Discourse came out].

GARY HINZE
USA

And it’s fascinating, as usual. Thank you, Drachen.

ALEXA KING
USA

A beautiful tribute to Yoshizumi-san! Thanks for Discourse.

KATA GAL
USA

Excellent!

CINDY THRALL
USA

Always awesome!

BOB WHITE
Canada

As always very good to read! Especially the pages on Cris Benton’s kite aerial photography (KAP).

KAPSHOP.COM
USA

Thank you for featuring my work in Discourse. I am proud indeed.

CRIS BENTON
USA

FROM THE EDITORS

On the road and shut out of the Internet, I’m going to wing it a little on this introduction and talk about the one contributor who I really know. That would be my son, Christopher, who is an amazing middle school teacher in Durango, Colorado. Chris was previously nominated as his school district’s science teacher of the year, and this year he was the deserving winner of the honor. He always looks for innovative ways to connect to students and, as he explains in this issue of Discourse, has finally found a way to introduce kites into his curriculum.

Since the Adelanto Middle School stresses interdisciplinary work, Chris found that kites would work naturally into the format. (We at the Foundation have been saying this for over 20 years!) With very little guidance from me, he developed an orderly and thoughtful approach that could teach fundamentals and develop creativity. I liked that he had students work in two-person teams – it’s an approach that works well in any workshop format – and that, after mastering some basics of kite design and engineering, his students went “off the leash” and built final projects with their own body of knowledge.

Seeing the results from Chris’ students surprised and impressed me. I had no idea that the best flying kites would be doperos: great as full-sized KAP lifters, but also (I know now) fantastic scaled down and made in paper. Creative three-stick variants and common Eddys all had their day and gave students every probability to succeed. I hope you enjoy Chris’ essay as much as I did.

Also take a look at the fine work of Chris Yuengling-Niles as she documents some of the amazing work of an American kiting legend, Tom Van Sant. We get to catch up with Discourse contributors Whitney Richardson and Oscar Frey, I take you on an excursion into the back room of kite collections, and who could not be charmed by the world of Ron and Marla Miller?

Enjoy.

Scott Skinner
Board President
Drachen Foundation