Students Got Soaked at Their Graduation Because the School Had a “Rain or Shine” Policy — Internet Cannot Agree on Who Is to Blame

The internet reacted to the viral video featuring the Centennial High School graduation ceremony in Franklin which was “watered-down.” Students were seen getting drenched in a pouring rain while the graduation ceremony continued in an open football field. 

According to reports, the school had a standing "Rain or Shine" policy that prevented the ceremony from being postponed or moved indoors. The decision drew immediate criticism online. 

While some found humor in the situation, others were outraged. The video has generated responses on social media platforms such as X and Reddit; each divided over the video. 

The video was shared on Reddit's r/WellThatSucks, where it gathered significant attention.

One commenter wrote, “They didn’t have an auditorium or a gymnasium? Now that school is a laughing stock…” Another user added, “Or…a rain? Which is exactly what it sounds like—an alternate date…in case of rain.” 

One more sarcastically mentioned, “Four years of hard work ending with everyone looking like they survived a hurricane is definitely a memorable graduation.”

Another commenter wrote, ‘This will look like foreshadowing in hindsight when they can’t find a job that doesn’t pay a minimum wage in this economy…” 

A commenter who identified themselves as a Franklin resident and Centennial High School alumnus weighed in on the thread. The alleged resident noted, “Some parents are requesting the school to have a do-over.” To this, a user replied, saying, “They want a ceremony that doesn’t suck.” 

An alumn mentioned, “I graduated from this High School four years ago. Glad I didn’t go through this.” Similarly, many were glad that something like this didn’t happen to them when they graduated from high school.

One commenter shared a close-up screenshot of a visibly soaked student and wrote, “This frame is even sort of poetic, looks like a citizen defeated by their country from the start. And a prelude to what’s coming after.” 

X Users Were Just as Divided Over the High School's Rain-Soaked Graduation

The X account Wall Street Apes shared the footage and drew its own wave of responses, with several users arguing that weathering the ceremony was itself a lesson in adulthood.

A user advised, “Being comfortable being uncomfortable is a superpower. Embrace the suck.” Another said, “Hitting the real world right out the gate…” A third user claimed, “They are being reminded of the bitter pill of adulthood.” 

A fourth mentioned, “Nothing says ‘welcome to adulthood’ like getting baptized by the bad decisions from management before even collecting your certificate.” A fifth one said, “The same people that planned and allowed this, educated those kids for four years…” 

A final one joked, “They had to experience rain? Imagine telling this to people 50 years ago…”

The graduation ceremony has continued to draw responses with no indication that the school has addressed the criticism or announced any plans for a makeup ceremony.