By Patrick Phillips | June 10, 2020 at 11:03 AM EDT - Updated June 10 at 1:16 PM
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Wednesday morningās graduation ceremony at Ashley Ridge High School will surely be one the school and the Class of 2020 wonāt ever forget.
The in-person ceremony began at 7:30 a.m. at the high schoolās Swamp Fox Stadium. In the middle of the ceremony, as principal Karen Radcliffe was introducing the schoolās valedictorian and salutatorian, the sprinklers went off, drenching the students who were sitting spaced apart across the athletic field.
It happens at the 47:10 mark in this video that was live-streamed by the school district.
But it was an illustration Radcliffe gave students moments earlier that might just have prepared them for the surprise.
She gave an illustration of someone walking with a cup of coffee who gets bumped into or has their arm shaken, resulting in the coffee spilling from the cup. She then told the Class of 2020 to think about what is in their cups when life ācomes along and shakes you.ā
āWhatever is inside you, whateverās inside that cup will come out, it will spill out. Itās easy to fake it until you get rattled or you get tested,ā she said.
No one expected a ātestā to come that quickly.
Moments after the sprinklers were shut off, she joked, āHey, yāall complain about the heat, we bring you water,ā adding, āWe have to keep it exciting around here.ā
Graduation continued on schedule with Radcliffe touching elbows with graduating seniors as she handed out diplomas.
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Photo: Dorchester County School District 2 via Facebook