‘Babies Later’ Poster Wins Grand Prize

Ian Olivera thought he was in trouble when he was called out of class Monday morning at Van Nuys Middle School.

But he was wrong.

“We thought you had the most original poster,” said Alex Tobeck of El Nido Family Service Center in Pacoima, in informing Ian that he had been named grand prize winner in a poster contest for middle school students on why teen-agers should postpone sex until after their educations.

Ian’s mother, his teacher and a room full of staff members looked on as Tobeck told Ian, “We’re proud of you.”

The contest, coordinated by El Nido Family Service Center, was the first under a new program called Education Now And Babies Later created by the California Office of Family Planning to prevent teen-age pregnancy.

More than 240 students from nine middle schools throughout the San Fernando Valley competed in the contest coordinated by El Nido Family Center. Although Ian, 12, was up against students who turned in some stunning artwork, he won because he simply and effectively got across the program’s message.

“I came up with an idea for a guy named Skip,” Ian said. “He’s a regular teen-ager who doesn’t know what to do. He’s getting ideas from his friends.”

Over Skip’s left shoulder is a little gremlin, labeled “hormones,” telling him, “Do it! Who cares about sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy?” Over his right shoulder is a brain telling him, “Your education is more important. It can’t wait. Sex can.”

For his poster, which he worked on for a week, Ian wins a season pass to Magic Mountain, plus extra tickets for friends, movie tickets, ice cream, a T-shirt and $25. His school also won $50 for sponsoring him.

“He was very excited about it,” said Ian’s mother, Socorro Olivera, who learned Friday night that her son had won. Ian’s health and biology teacher, Sam Portnoy, called with advance word on his winning.

But Ian’s mother, with whom he had discussed different aspects of the project, kept the news a secret from her son until Monday.

“We didn’t want to exclude people who aren’t artists,” said Tobeck, explaining how Ian’s simple drawing with watercolors and ink beat out much more detailed work. “His poster very clearly showed the struggle going on all the time. We were looking for some clever things.”

The first prize winner was Natlaporn Asadorndamrongchai, a seventh-grader at Richard E. Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley, for a poster showing the differences in the lives of two girls, one who stays in school and another who drops out to have a baby.

Second prize went to Michael Laygo, a ninth-grader at Byrd, who showed a couple pursuing their education and another couple trying to cope with a baby.

The poster contest will be held every April to coincide with Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, Tobeck said.