North Hollywood : Boy Wins Top Prize for Political Cartoon

Matthew Levine, a former sixth-grader at the Oakwood School, is not an extremely loquacious 13-year-old. But he has a lot to say.

In the spirit of Thomas Nast or Garry Trudeau, Matthew makes some of his most pointed statements with cartoon sketches.

“I like drawing people,” he said matter-of-factly during an interview last week. “I like to deal with real issues.”

One topic Matthew confronted last winter was the passage of Proposition 187. His political cartoon protesting the overwhelming victory of the anti-immigration measure has been named the first-prize winner among 10,000 entries in a nationwide contest sponsored by Knowledge Unlimited, a Wisconsin-based educational consultant group.

Matthew won a $100 savings bond and the honor of having his artwork displayed in a group magazine read by students from all over the country.

Like his demeanor, Matthew’s winning entry is fairly straightforward. It depicts the Statue of Liberty wearing a paper bag mask with the words “Prop. 187” written above.

“It’s saying that most Americans are now turning their heads away from immigrants,” Matthew said. “I was kind of mad that people would put something like that on the ballot.”

As part of an annual project directed by Knowledge Unlimited to make students more aware of events affecting their world, Matthew and his classmates thought about issues like Proposition 187 throughout the school year.

“They would cut out political cartoons every day,” said Michelle Weiss, Matthew’s teacher. “By analyzing and discussing them, the students could better understand the ideas driving some current issues.”

Covering topics like the O.J. Simpson trial, the new Republican Congress and the current debate surrounding affirmative action, the students expressed their opinions about certain events and were asked to engage in light debates, Weiss added.

“This helped develop their critical thinking skills,” she said.