The Truth About Partying

High Schoolers are known for many different things; sports, drama, first loves, poor driving, but the most unique is parties. In the movies and down the block, high school parties are infamous for sneaking out, underage drinking, destruction, and parent-administered probation (grounding). Entering 9th grade, high schoolers forget about the bouncy castle, cake and candles birthday parties from middle and elementary school, and are introduced to types of partying previously unknown. From concerts to school dances to house parties, by the time senior year rolls around, many students are used to the routine of going out all weekend and returning to school unfazed Monday morning. Across the 53 DPS high schools, partying and underage drinking are no strangers.

School-Sponsored Parties

At homecoming games, word about breathalyzers spreads through the stands, as teenagers get kicked out of All City Stadium on both sides of the field. School dances are typically the first introduction to high school, where all grades are thrown in one place. For many freshmen, it is the first time they are given a curfew. Curfews range anywhere from 9pm to the AMs, but the actual curfew for minors in Denver, Colorado is: 11pm – 5am: Sunday through Thursday, 12am – 5am: Friday and Saturday.

On homecoming night, students from different schools will go to their nearby parks to take pictures, notable spots are: Cheesman Park, Washington Park, City Park, etc. Then afterwards it is straight to either a dinner or a pre-party. Once students arrive at their school dance, it is fairly monitored by parent and teacher chaperones. At East in particular, there are multiple check-points where chaperones stand to usher students into the sweaty pit of people in the hidden north side parking lot. After backflips in the mosh pit and trips to the bathroom, students tire of flying water bottles and dress shoes to the toes, and file out onto the Esplanade, getting into Ubers and sprinting to catch the bus, to make it to the real parties.

House Parties

Advancing from parties in the park and school sponsored parties to real parties hosted by actual students and their actual houses is a massive change. Risk goes up exponentially as the date of people's homes and parents become involved. House Parties often result in destruction of property in many ways: think broken blinds and sour carpets. Most high schoolers throw parties whenever their parents are out of town. While some get away with it others are stuck like Greg and Roderick Heffley with a “D-O-R-E” without a lock on it and multiple years of grounding in pursuit.

Experienced party-goer and Senior, Paul Vader explains his experience with partying and the repercussions. He divulges, “I was actually there for the aftermath of a party, I was there for like a second, I had to get my stuff so my parents dropped me off the next morning. I had to clean up a little bit, I cleaned up like the whole upstairs, it was pretty gross I had to pick up the cigarettes out of the dirty water. I had to help him clean the walls…Apparently someone threw up in a vase.”

A prime occasion for House Parties is Halloween or Halloweekend, a multi-day event where high schoolers purchase several Halloween costumes and obtain 18+ drinks from different sources. This weekend often allows underage delinquents from all schools to gather to celebrate a holiday almost no one is thinking about. With no candy in sight Halloweekend is simply an excuse to party. These types of house parties are the most typical and prevalent in media, some defining characteristics being overcrowded upstairs, downstairs, and backyards, music, and bouncers. Many functions are organized through group chats and social media and for anyone uninvited, bouncers are often the only difference between them and the party. Senior Olivia Saavedra recounted a hallowed party where, “The bouncers were in military vests, and a whole military outfit with pins and badges and everything.”

The Forbidden Party

Parties are not always riddled with drunken minors; many students opt for a sober experience and choose not to break any laws. Some students take the role of designated driver, while others just party without the mental state-altering substances. According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 32.9% of people in the United States ages 12 to 20 reported having had at least one drink in their lives. This percentage is significant considering this age group is fully prohibited from alcohol consumption. It is precisely this prohibition that is the appeal, and many high schoolers are actually indifferent to drinking and are more involved in the social side of this law-breaking.

The forbidden nature of drinking and participating in other harmful party activities is similar to the way high schoolers want to party in the most dangerous places. High schoolers often do not refrain from partying at professional events and close to school hours. Recently, a scandal occurred at the DECA State Competition, involving students from multiple schools. The four day competition ended with students sent home and rumors buzzing around schools about gatherings in rooms past quiet hours. This shows that teenagers can find a party anywhere, and risk-taking is a commonality.

Going to a party or throwing one is dangerous in itself, there are many ways that it can get out of hand. Police are always a factor, and one small noise complaint could bring the party poopers straight to the door of the function. Luckily high school parties don't usually reach Project X level, and they remain pretty mild. East Sophomore, Sydney Grube says, “[Parties] all kind of blend together. They are kind of awkward at first, and it takes a while for it to actually get good. I think that movies exaggerate it.” High school parties, while forbidden, are actually good experiences and preparation for more dangerous and serious college occasions. Fraternities and university concerts are found to be more hardcore, Olivia describes a frat party at her sister's university, she explained,“At the Stanford frats people get taken away in stretchers at darties (day parties), before big games. Mike sherm was there and there was this guy walking around with a huge bandage on his head and blood dripping everywhere.”

To conclude, there is no safe way to have an authentic high school party, and there are many dangers to consider. Some of the possibilities include drunk driving incidents, property destruction, transportation issues, police busts, and angry neighbors. A final piece of advice is to stay safe, and keep the future in mind when attending parties. Next up students take on international parties for spring break, stay safe angels.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid