Signature Events

Taste of Vistamar is a community-wide potluck and music event where we celebrate our connections, our heritage and our cultures through food.  Families, faculty and staff bring dishes that represent their heritage to contribute to the event.  At communal tables, all members of the Vistamar community eat, listen to music and bond.  Now in its 12th year, this is one of our best-loved community events.

Dumpling-making led by Mr. Shi.  Students, faculty and staff learn to make (and get to eat!) dumplings with Mr. Shi.

Soulful Celebration is a celebration of Black history and culture, and has become a beloved annual tradition for the entire Vistamar community.  Students contribute individual projects to a live gallery highlighting Black history, arts, traditions and activism.  Families, students, faculty and staff come together to share a meal, tour the galleries and experience a performance of student-written and shared poetry, stories, songs and music.  Now in its 13th year, recent themes have included:
2016: Black LA: Snapshots
2017: Black Excellence
2018: The 90s are All Black
2019: Black in the Day
2020: Black Love
2021: The Harlem Renaissance and the Golden Age

In 2018, Vistamar started the tradition of committing a school day to engage with one another in purposeful discussions of identity.  Students and staffulty take the time to experience student-facilitated discussions and activities about aspects of self in place of a regular day of classes.  We make the time to connect in both grade-level groups and identity-based affinity groups.  In the past, topics have included gender (2018) and racial and ethnic identity (2019).