Video: US students brave heavy rain at graduation ceremony to receive diplomas
A high school graduation ceremony in Franklin, Tennessee, continued outdoors through torrential rain as students collected their diplomas.
What should have been a celebratory graduation ceremony at a high school in the US state of Tennessee turned into a rain-soaked spectacle as graduates collected their diplomas in a torrential downpour while families sat drenched in the stands.
A video shared by Fox News showed the ceremony in Franklin, where officials chose to keep the event outdoors despite heavy rain and stormy conditions.
In the short clip, graduates crossed the stage as it poured and spectators watched from soaked stands.
“Now some parents are demanding answers, saying students deserved better and arguing the conditions became unsafe,” Fox News said in the caption of the post.
Social media users, in the meantime, were divided over whether organisers made the right decision by proceeding with the ceremony despite the weather.
Some viewers criticised the decision, arguing that students and their families should not have been forced to endure such conditions during a milestone event.
“Hope they refund them their graduation fees because this is unacceptable,” one user wrote.
“I've never heard of an outdoor graduation ceremony that didn't have a contingency plan to move indoors in case of bad weather,” another commented.
Others raised concerns about safety: “That’s actually crazy. Once it becomes a safety risk, common sense should matter more than sticking to the schedule. Those students waited years for that moment and deserved better conditions.”
One person even suggested that the ceremony should be held again: “This is such a shame. They should do it again.”
Not everyone saw the situation negatively, however. Some users felt the unusual circumstances would make the event unforgettable for the graduating class: “As chaotic as it looked, a lot of graduates will probably remember it as a once in a lifetime moment.”
Another user attempted to lighten the mood with a joke, saying the students had “graduated with diplomas and pneumonia at the same time.”
What should have been a celebratory graduation ceremony at a high school in the US state of Tennessee turned into a rain-soaked spectacle as graduates collected their diplomas in a torrential downpour while families sat drenched in the stands.
A video shared by Fox News showed the ceremony in Franklin, where officials chose to keep the event outdoors despite heavy rain and stormy conditions.
In the short clip, graduates crossed the stage as it poured and spectators watched from soaked stands.
“Now some parents are demanding answers, saying students deserved better and arguing the conditions became unsafe,” Fox News said in the caption of the post.
Social media users, in the meantime, were divided over whether organisers made the right decision by proceeding with the ceremony despite the weather.
Some viewers criticised the decision, arguing that students and their families should not have been forced to endure such conditions during a milestone event.
“Hope they refund them their graduation fees because this is unacceptable,” one user wrote.
“I've never heard of an outdoor graduation ceremony that didn't have a contingency plan to move indoors in case of bad weather,” another commented.
Others raised concerns about safety: “That’s actually crazy. Once it becomes a safety risk, common sense should matter more than sticking to the schedule. Those students waited years for that moment and deserved better conditions.”
One person even suggested that the ceremony should be held again: “This is such a shame. They should do it again.”
Not everyone saw the situation negatively, however. Some users felt the unusual circumstances would make the event unforgettable for the graduating class: “As chaotic as it looked, a lot of graduates will probably remember it as a once in a lifetime moment.”
Another user attempted to lighten the mood with a joke, saying the students had “graduated with diplomas and pneumonia at the same time.”
