Where It All Goes Down
Hazelwood High School
Tears of a Tiger takes place at Hazelwood High, a fictitious high school that does a very good job of coming across like it could be pretty much any high school in America. Draper is vague with the details about where things take place, making it easy for readers to relate to the story as it unfolds. The only truly defining characteristic is that there's snow on the ground. So, you know, we're not in the South.
But while there are basketball games and talent shows and other ordinary high school stuff to be found at Hazelwood High, there are also big, traumatic events, including a fatal drunk-driving car accident and a student suicide. The setting, then, contributes to the story in two ways: It reminds us that though high school students are young, they're still dealing with major life issues, and it also makes it super clear that the trouble at Hazelwood can happen anywhere.