December 19, 2025, Vista, CA – Hundreds of students in the Vista Unified School District performed at the annual Special Education Holiday Showcase, hosted by the Vista Elks Lodge. The Elks Lodge has been home to the event for 49 years.
Students’ families enjoyed student performances, while the students performed and then experienced a meet-and-greet with Santa. Nearly 350 preschool and elementary students from the Vista Unified School District participated.
Classes regaled the lodge members and the students’ families with song and dance performances that their classes have been developing for weeks. After the performances, the students attended a meet-and-greet with Santa, and each student was provided a gift from Santa (and the Vista Elks Lodge).
“This holiday performance is a very special event! Some children enrolled in specialized programs do not often have an opportunity to perform or to be on stage. It is a treasured time for the families to watch their kids do something like this,” said Rachel Schmidt, Special Ed Supervisor for Vista Unified and Principal of California Avenue School. Schmidt is the lead event coordinator for the performances alongside the district’s Adapted PE department and Wayne & Joyce Ford, Chairs for the Vista Elks Lodge.
Schmidt herself grew up going to the holiday showcase at the Vista Elks Lodge with her father, a former Vista Unified administrator. She shares, “I have fond memories of attending as a child. It warms my heart to give our families a memorable pre-holiday experience. Students have the chance to travel on the bus and perform at the Elks Lodge with their parents, families, and teachers in the audience and to meet Santa in a smaller, personal setting.”
Vista Unified School District schools participating include California Avenue, Empresa Elementary, Mission Meadows Elementary, Hannalei Elementary, T.H.E. Leadership Academy, Lake Elementary, Foothill Oak Elementary, and Alamosa Park Elementary. Performances will begin with elementary-age students, followed by the preschoolers.
California Avenue School serves students with special needs with a range of services, including adapted physical education, speech-language therapy, nursing services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and hearing and vision services.
