The Class of 2038’s first steps into the Schoolhouse were captured in a video set to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten.” Click here to watch this cherished tradition and see our youngest Nighthawks begin their stories, surrounded by family, teachers, and students ready to cheer them on.

On a sunny September morning, the Class of 2038 arrived at the blue doors with their families and a mix of nerves and excitement, ready to begin their Nightingale story. Waiting just inside were the Class of 2026, seniors eager to take part in one of the school's most cherished traditions: guiding the youngest Nighthawks, hand in hand, up the stairs to their fourth floor classroom.

More than an annual routine, this walk is a moment that binds generations of Nighthawks together. Seniors described the joy of greeting Kindergarteners for the first time, and the "full circle" moment of seeing their own journey reflected back at them.

"Before walking them down, [Class XII] gathered in the senior lounge, eager to meet our Kindergarteners…That excitement is something that every grade at Nightingale has experienced, and it is such a pivotal moment of our senior year, and of their Kindergarten year. Walking up to the Kindergarteners served as such a full circle moment to my own classmates who had been there since kindergarten and got to complete their own 12-year cycle, and to see them so happy and sad and taking in the moment is something so great that Nightingale has done.," Nola S. '26 shared. "This tradition is one that all kids know and love and are eager to participate in when they reach their last year at Nightingale. For the seniors, it is such a privilege to walk them in on their first day, as we know it is most likely their first time away from home, but walking with a student may make the transition easier, which is why it is also such a valuable tradition. In all, I am so happy and lucky to have participated in this and can't wait to continue my last year at Nightingale!"