Graduation ceremonies for two Tennessee high schools drew backlash from parents and social media after they were held outside — in the middle of a torrential rainstorm.
Educators at Centennial High School and Franklin High School both decided to keep their graduation ceremonies outdoors on Thursday, despite heavy rain that soaked graduates and their families watching.
Clips of the rainy ceremonies went viral on X, showing students seated on a football field as rain pelts down onto their caps and gowns, while their families sat drenched in the stands.
“As soon as they started speaking, it started pouring,” Victoria Burls, a parent of a Centennial graduate, told WSMV.
“My daughter is already planning to redo photos. Like, she wants to go back and do photos on the football field and get all done-up again,” Burls said.
Other students seemed to like the idea of a redo, including Britney Garner’s daughter Akyla, who spent hours getting ready for the big day. When the weather suddenly changed during the ceremony, Garner ran down to the field with an umbrella for her daughter, she told the outlet.
“My child who had put so much into this day to make it special, and was so excited, I could just not stand to sit there and see her get drowned like that,” Garner said.
Other students and parents also questioned why the district would choose to have the ceremony outdoors.
“I was wearing my prom shoes. My shoes were like puddles,” Brooklyn Broadnax told WTVF.
Broadnax’s family said the school’s graduation plans were in place before the rain even began to fall, as an email went out saying the ceremony would go on rain or shine.
“My concern is, you had an elderly who, number one, were now put in danger because of the weather. There are puddles of water they can’t see. You run the risk of people falling,” Broadnax’s godmother, Michelle Wyatt told the TV station.
To put an even greater damper on what was supposed to be a celebratory day, Broadnax said that planned parts of the ceremony never happened — including a moment of silence for a classmate who died last year.
“Penelope was going to graduate with us. We could at least do a moment of silence,” Broadnax said.
Viral videos of students accepting their diplomas in a downpour caught the attention of former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who blasted the school’s decision.
“This is ridiculous. The school should have organized graduation indoors. The graduates and their families deserved a nice ceremony,” she wrote on X. “By the way, their parents are tax payers that fund the school and administrators’ salaries. Being treated this way should not be tolerated.”
Other X users also had strong reactions to the rain-soaked ceremony.
“This looks like the most miserable graduation ever...welcome to adulthood,” one user wrote.
“The school is just preparing them for their future,” another person joked.
Another user commiserated: “As a 2020 graduate. y'all should be grateful. We got a virtual ceremony.”
Williamson County School Superintendent Jason Golden acknowledged the difficulties the rain added to the day, but said the district held the ceremony on the football field despite knowing there was a chance of rain because the location allows more loved ones to attend.
“Based on forecasts and radar, we expected to complete last night’s ceremonies at Centennial and Franklin before the next wave of rain began, but unfortunately, changing conditions brought rain during the events,” Golden said, according to WSMV. “While the rain impacted those two ceremonies, it could not diminish our pride in our Centennial and Franklin graduates.”
