Senior banned from prom over conspicuous ask-out technique

The Lookout

Here's further proof, if any should be needed, that grand romantic gestures are overrated.

High school senior James Tate wanted to impress his friend by asking her to their prom in Shelton, Conn., in a way the whole world would notice, The Connecticut Post reports.

So naturally he went to the school in the middle of the night and taped foot-high pieces of cardboard on its entrance to spell out "Sonali Rodrigues, Will you go to prom with me? HMU Tate." (Gawker says HMU means "hit me up." Kids these days.)

The good news: She said yes! The bad news? Tate is now banned from attending the prom because school officials say he was trespassing and risked his life by using a ladder to put up the romantic request.

"This is really upsetting," Rodrigues told the paper. "It's our senior year and we are supposed to have happy memories, not something like this."

Lucky for the pair, the mayor of Shelton himself is getting involved in their case. Mayor Mark Lauretti told a local Fox affiliate he doesn't think the "punishment fits the crime." And as the tale of Tate's predicament spread on national news sites, 30,000 people have joined a group on Facebook in support of the potential prom date. (Shelton's total population, by comparison, is 40,000.)

Here's a video of Tate explaining his side of things:

(Images: Facebook and Connecticut Post.)