Though high school students living in other college towns across America may frequent university parties, students at Hanover High say Dartmouth parties are probably the last place they go on a weekend, let alone on Green Key.
"Believe it or not, we have other things to do," said one high school senior, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Hanover High students host their own parties, he said, and because all those who attend know each other from school, those gatherings are much more enjoyable for high school students.
High school students told The Dartmouth that negative relations between Hanover High students and Dartmouth students discourages fraternization between the two on Hanover's streets, let alone in fraternity basements.
The anonymous student did say that he attended Alpha Delta fraternity's renowned and prominent lawn party during Green Key his sophomore year in 1999.
"I thought it was fun, I mean, we were sophomores in high school, of course we thought it was fun," the student continued. "The band actually quit early because people were throwing stuff at them."
The amount of revelry to be found on the lawn of AD that day didn't surprise him, he said, though he mentioned that he and his friends "sort of sat around in the basement," rather than spending time above ground.
"It's sort of the reputation Dartmouth gets anyway," he said, noting students raised in Hanover have driven or walked by the AD lawn party-- and other fraternity parties -- throughout their childhoods in Hanover.
"When I was a little kid, walking by on Green Key weekend, you notice it, it's not exactly a secret kind of thing, it's this huge party on the lawn with a big band, I mean -- you know what's going on," he said.
AD brothers checking ID's at the door didn't check his, the student explained, because he entered with a friend who was a senior brother at the fraternity.
"He was a senior, and he was like 'All these kids are fine,'" to the brothers checking for non-Dartmouth students at the door.
He noted that later that night, he and some friends tried to get into a party at Chi Heorot fraternity next door to AD and "it was much harder" to get in, though they were ultimately successful.
At Heorot, he said, he felt more awkward.
"They were all looking at us like 'Hey, who are all the high school kids, whereas at AD we were with one of the kids who was sort of in charge," the student reported.
Many Hanover High students are adamant that Dartmouth students are not welcoming to the younger residents of the town.
"I don't think Dartmouth is a really open place," said Phillip Brauch, a Hanover High School student. "I don't think Dartmouth kids want us [going to their fraternity parties]; I think it's really exclusive."
The student who spoke with The Dartmouth on the condition of his anonymity agreed.
"I don't think the sentiments of Hanover High kids toward Dartmouth students is very good," he observed. "It's just conflicting worlds -- I don't think [Hanover] kids in general like Dartmouth. Whether that's justified or not, I don't know."
Parties this weekend are especially unlikely to be a big draw for Hanover students because Hanover High's prom is set for this Saturday in Fairlee, Vermont, meaning many students who might have tried their taste of the college life this Green Key weekend will be swaying the night away to "Stairway to Heaven" instead.
