With late May being the peak of American high school graduation season, thousands of students across the country participated in commencement ceremonies this week, right before the Memorial Day holiday.
However, not everyone’s big day went as planned.
The students of Tennessee’s Centennial and Franklin High Schools in Williamson County received their degrees amid torrential rain.
School officials were blasted by parents and guardians for hosting the events outdoors despite the weather forecast indicating the possibility of heavy rain and thunder. However, most internet users thought the outrage was an overreaction.
“It’ll be a funny adult life lesson they will laugh about it years from now,” one user said. “The parents need to quit crying about it.”
Parents shared their frustration after the kids’ graduation was ruined by rain
Image credits: Williamson County Schools/Facebook
On May 21, Thursday, the two schools held their graduation ceremonies on their football fields, which soon flooded as rain began shortly after the events commenced.
Videos shared by attendees have since gone viral, showing students taking careful steps across to the podium, wearing raincoats over their drenched formals and graduation capes.
Many parents have publicly condemned the situation, blaming the school officials for ruining their children’s once-in-a-lifetime day and disregarding people’s safety.
Image credits: Franklin High/YouTube
“I was like nervous someone was going to slip and fall down the bleachers, like all the elderly people,” Victoria Burls, mother of Centennial High School graduate Gabriella, told WSMV, a local outlet.
“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.”
“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,” said Britney Garner, mother of another graduate who went down the field with an umbrella to protect her daughter, Akyla.
Centennial High School couldn’t mourn a deceased student
Image credits: Williamson County Schools/Facebook
Brooklynn Broadnax, a third high school graduate who endured the harsh weather on Thursday, told News Channel 5 that she wore prom shoes to the ceremony, which turned into “puddles.”
“I was really upset because I’ve been so excited for my graduation since freshman year. And it’s always been like, sunny and a cute sunset,” she revealed.
“Then, what were you going to do with a football field full of people, and you have lightning that’s coming down?” she continued, adding that a Williamson County Schools email confirmed that the ceremony would go on, “rain or shine.”
The worsening situation also forced the school to skip pre-planned parts of the ceremony, including a moment of silence for a classmate who passed away in 2025.
“Penelope was going to graduate with us,” Broadnax said. “We could at least do a moment of silence.”
Broadnax’s godmother, Dr. Michelle Wyatt, mirrored the concerns of Burls and other parents.
Image credits: Williamson County Schools/Facebook
“My concern is, you had elderly people who, number one, were now put in danger because of the weather,” she said, according to News Channel 5. “There are puddles of water that they can’t see. You run the risk of people falling.”
“Centennial High School is totally OUT OF ORDER!!! These children deserved to have a graduation!!!” she wrote in a social media post later, where she congratulated her godchild and said she was proud of her.
Marjorie Taylor Greene joined the parents to slam the school officials
Image credits: Williamson County Schools
The parents and family members were backed by some netizens, who called out the schools on social media.
One user said, “Why are they still having graduations outdoors? Move them back to the gyms where they belong, or find a covered, outdoor venue. This is awful.”
Another said, “Poor planning. Always have a Plan B.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a politician and former U.S. representative for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, chimed in on the situation on her X profile.
“This is ridiculous. The school should have organized the graduation indoors,” she said. “The graduates and their families deserved a nice ceremony. By the way, their parents are taxpayers who fund the school and administrators’ salaries. Being treated this way should not be tolerated.”
Image credits: Williamson County Schools/Facebook
However, most pointed out that this would become a treasured memory for the students to look back on as they grow up and would also help prepare them for the difficulties of adult life.
“Rain isn’t going to hurt them. If anything, it’s going to prepare them to be an adult,” one user said. Another wrote, “It’s a graduation they will never forget.”
“My family and I came out just fine,” said a parent who attended the ceremony. “It’s a memory we will bond over.”
Image credits: Williamson County Schools/Facebook
In response to the backlash, Williamson County Schools Superintendent Jason Golden defended the decision to host the ceremonies outdoors in a statement given to media outlets.
“We know the rain made Thursday night’s graduations at Centennial and Franklin challenging, and we appreciate the patience of our families,” Golden said.
“Based on forecasts and radar, we expected to complete Thursday night’s ceremonies at Centennial and Franklin before the next wave of rain began, but unfortunately, changing conditions brought rain during the events. While the rain impacted those two ceremonies, it could not diminish our pride in our Centennial and Franklin graduates.”
“They deserve a redo.” The internet was divided over Tennessee high school graduation ceremonies are washed away in rain
