THRALL, Texas (KXAN) – Strong to severe storms moved through counties in Central Texas on Friday afternoon and into the evening, the same time many schools had graduation plans.

One of those graduations was for Thrall High School in Williamson County. The graduation, which was only open to families and close friends of graduates, was actually moved inside the gym because of the inclement weather.

The night quickly changed once the gym took a power hit due to the storms.

But in the darkness, the Thrall community still found a way to support their graduates, who have already had a tough school year due to the pandemic.

In footage shared by attendee Kristen Anderson, both the graduates and the audience could be seen using the flashlights from their cell phones to illuminate the gym during the graduation ceremony.

“It may not be an ideal graduation ceremony, but I am so moved by the school community coming together to really ‘light up’ the room for these graduates,” Anderson told KXAN.

Friday night’s strong storms, meanwhile, had also knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes in surrounding counties. Crews across Bastrop, Travis and Williamson Counties are currently working to restore service.