A senior at Central York High School in Pennsylvania caused a whirlwind of online outrage after he was suspended for not taking school administrators’ orders seriously and asking Miss America to the prom during a school assembly Thursday.
Patrick Farves, 18, walked up to the pageant princess, Nina Davuluri, as she addressed students at Central York High School to discuss the relevance of diversity, math and science studies. In a gap between his classmates’ questions, Patrick handed Davuluri a purple plastic flower and said, “Miss America, I have a question. Will you go to prom with me?”
He did not get a date out of the prank, but he did get attention from the whole nation after a three-day school suspension caused hundreds of supporters to come to his defense on Twitter and other social media sites, launching the hashtag #FreePatty.
Patrick is the class clown, and word of his plan to ask Davuluri to the school dance had spread days before her visit to the school. That’s why an administrator took Patrick aside 10 minutes before the assembly, telling him it would not be the appropriate venue for his question.
On TODAY, a TV show that aired Monday, the jokester said he does not regret disregarding the school’s warning. “This is kind of what I do. I’m kind of known for this stuff, just like, pranks, standing out, jokes with my friends,” Farves said. “I’m a real goofy and standout character.” What a douche.
Though he understands and “sort of” respects the school’s decision to suspend him, his concern over possible suspension never made him reconsider the idea.
“I had looked at it like, this was a now-or-never type thing. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” the Farves said. “I did it anyway, and I knew I would get in some type of trouble. I can totally understand and respect the disciplinary actions that had to be taken.”