FOLEY, Ala. - Rain, thunder and lightning could not keep 356 now former Foley High School Lions from receiving their diplomas Thursday.

The FHS graduation ceremony began 90 minutes after it was supposed to, but school officials learned of a hour-long time window beginning at 9 p.m. to squeeze the proceedings into.

Residents, teachers and family members withstood the inclement weather to celebrate with the 2011 graduating class as they closed the book on one chapter and began writing a new one.

"To all my fellow classmates, we did it," valedictorian Dillon Hinton said.