LATINO PARENTS SHARE CULTURE TALES, TRADITIONS TO BE GIVEN TO KIDS.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

SYLMAR - In a bungalow at Gridley Elementary School, applause erupts as Marcela Jimenez finishes telling the legend of La China Poblana, a tale tracing the traditional dress of her hometown to an Indian of Mongolian origin.

``Ladies, can you imagine, this legend of La China Poblana?'' another mother says in Spanish to the dozen-or-so immigrant mothers sitting attentively, some on child-sized chairs.

In October - in celebration of Latino Heritage Month - these mothers will hold a festival of Latin cultures at Gridley Elementary, sharing the legends of their hometowns.

Highlighting history, food and traditions from across Latin America, they will expose their children to something they never had to learn from a festival or special month - the culture of their homeland.

All these mothers - some of whom never finished elementary school, all of whom speak little English - come from the places they will be teaching about: Guatemala, Bolivia, Nicaragua and El Salvador and regions of Mexico, among others.

``We have different accents, we are different skin colors, but we all have something to teach each other. It doesn't matter where you are from. All of us can learn from each other,'' said Blanca Morales, a 38-year-old mother who helps run the parent center.

``We want to explain the diversity of our culture to our children.''

Jimenez will tell the tales of La China Poblana, a princess sold into slavery from India, shipped to the Philippines and adopted by a Mexican merchant and his family in Puebla, her hometown. The colorful, sequined skirts that La China Poblana became known for are emblematic of the region's traditional dress.

Veronica Figueroa, 26, will share the story of Los Ninos Heroes, the story of young cadets who sacrificed themselves to defend their country during the Mexican-American War.

``I want my daughter to be proud of what she is, wherever she is,'' Figueroa explained, as her 10-month-old daughter balanced herself on a table at the center. A native from Guanajuato, Mexico, who lives in San Fernando, she believes the more she understands the history of her own culture, the better she will be able to teach it to her children.

``What I learn here, I pass on to her.''

Congress established Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 to recognize the contributions of Latinos to the fabric of America.

Educators, taking note, added lessons about notable Latinos to their class. In California, many teachers incorporated it into existing history lessons about the state, a former territory of Mexico.

The week, which included Sept. 15 and 16, days of independence for six Latin American countries, was expanded in 1988 to 31 days - from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

But with recent federal mandates forcing to instructors to follow rigid curriculum guidelines, much of the cultural lessons focusing around the heritage month have been dropped. Instead, educators are planning independence day celebrations and cultural festivals after school.

The month can hardly be ignored, as nearly one-third of California residents are of Latino descent. Of those, more than 40 percent are foreign- born. And unlike past generations, many immigrant parents - like the mothers at Gridley - hope their mostly American-born children will be not only bilingual but bicultural.

``The prouder the children feel about who their parents are and their own cultural background, the stronger they are adjusting, learning English,'' said Veronica Verches, the school's principal.

``A lot of times children feel like assimilating, like they have to reject their own culture. What these parents have shown is that the stronger (children) feel about their own culture, the more open they are to accepting other cultures.''

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Eloisa Tellez gets fed by her 2-year-old, Anahi Tellez, during a parent class on Latin-American culture recently at Gridley Elementary School in Sylmar.

(2) Rosa Velasquez holds her 10-month-old son, David Jimenez, while getting some food.

(3) Maria Tellez, 6, colors a picture of a Spanish dancer during a cultural class for parents at Gridley Elementary School.

(4) Jennifer Guzman, 3, has a Mexican pastry while Abigail Hernandez and her 9-month-old daughter, Karen, watch her.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer