Class distinction.
As with all school systems there was class status distinctions. The same basic principle of prejudice. Due to a child's home environment other kids at school allow their judgement to dictate their actions. A child whose parents choose to spend their money on cigarettes and beer and then has to wear very worn out clothing is treated harshly for events not within their control. Not only did my dad choose to spend his money on his addictions he was very abusive. Therefore as a child I was locked in an environment that I had no control over. Other kids who had a better home environment would then judge me the child and use their own personal judgement to make life at school deplorable. Fault for how those of a better status treat those of lesser status lies directly with those kids who chose out of fear of rejection to treat those of lesser status harshly. The simple fact is children of a lesser status or bad home environment have the same potential. 
This class distinction is the exact same argument that white supremacist use. Color, any color of skin has nothing to do with intelligence or abilities. Environment and opportunity does. If others suppress those of another class or race (class being poor or a bad home environment) then those that suppress are guilty of bias, prejudice etc. Children in school of better circumstances at home are no different. Children who choose to show prejudice due to another's environment are just as bad as racist. At some point these children are taught to view the lesser status kids as less value, either by parents, other children or teachers.
Aside from the emotional damage, it cheats the children with a damaged home environment out of opportunities that could enrich their lives.
Since parents may refuse to teach their child all people have value and potential then the responsibility falls to teachers. The school environment must be equal and teachers must not treat any student different due to their home environment. Mrs. Bryant in Creative Writing and Mr. Long of photography and yearbook was such teachers who not only singled a student out but used words to ensure other students would socially mark that student as to be treated different. If they approved of you, the class knew it, if they did not the class knew it.
My memories of high school are of survival. Because of the choices my parents made I had to wear what I could, when I had extra money I tried to buy clothes that would be acceptable. Due to my dad's abuse I constantly needed approval, so I acted out. Since I had been both sexually abused (by as many as 79 named persons since my dad made money from me) and physically abused since age 6 I had no idea had to behave socially. In the school environment the teachers bore the greatest responsibility, not because they should been able to see a need for help but because they chose to single me out as different and odd, marking me for mistreatment by other students.
Incredibly I survived and went on to be a very productive part of society and to contribute to future generations. I also did not pass on to my children the values of hate I learned from some teachers and other students. In fact one of my sons does the programming on payroll and finance software that many I grew up with use. Those same kids that treated me with disgust now depend on my sons work to survive.
As parents and grandparents the class of 1985 must teach the younger children to look beyond clothing, status, environment, money and teach children to lift up and support each other.

Sadly I have not one good memory of high school.

I'm often asked where my ideas come from for my novels, and the answers are from events in my life. Recently I was reminded of my inspiration for my novel "The Boy in The Wood".

My wife and I marrried in 1988 and we bought our first home at what became 160 Running Deer Lane Rickman Tennessee. It was a small (987 sq ft) very basic home. But we made it ours. We had recently lost our first child to a late miscarriage and we were not able to have a memorial or just say goodbye. So we took all the items that has been bought and made for her and buried them in the front yard along with a brand new Bible opened up to
Ps 19:13-16
"​For you produced my kidneys; You kept me screened off in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because in an awe-inspiring way I am wonderfully made.Your works are wonderful, I know this very well.  My bones were not hidden from youWhen I was made in secret,When I was woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes even saw me as an embryo; All its parts were written in your bookRegarding the days when they were formed, Before any of them existed."
The loss still weights heavy on me to this day. We brought our first son home here as well as our second. We raised our two boys here and behind this house is where a thick wooded area grows. Our boys would spend hours of each day in the woods and not far away is a river and me and the boys walked and explored it. These woods and this river is what became The Wood and the Walnut River in "The Boy in The Wood". 
Behind our house however was a special tree and I built a little club/tree house for the boys and yes there was even an event where my oldest son saved my youngest.
All of our happy memories are at this house, this was the home we wanted to retire in.
Sometime in 2006 our loan was sold to Countryside and we had no idea, then in early 2007 I got a letter explaining that the government was going to take our house. I took the letter to a lawyer and he said he had never seen anything like it. He did some research and discovered that a nation wide banking failure was about to happen and the government was trying to avoid it by taking all of Countrywide's assets.
We had just installed a new field line, had siding installed and started a remodel of the inside. In May 2007 our house was auctioned off.
We met the couple who bought it, and they opted to continue our remodel using our plans. They added an addition just as we had in the plans and they put on a tin roof. They had dogs and created a fenced in area in the back yard.
Then they divorced and the house was empty for years and years. In April 2019 the house was bought for about $55,000 and relisted for $129,900 with not many appearent changes. We drove out there to walk around the yard.

I walked to the area where we buried our childs belongings and I placed my hand on her grave and cried. Outside it still needs a lot of work, gutters, paint, and the damage done to the doors and siding from the dogs needs repaired. The inside needs what is called a punch-list, the trim needs up and painted and a few walls need painted. It needs a lot of work on the addition as well.
The yard is in need of a great deal of work.

I sat on the front porch and just knew my boys were going to come running around the corner from the woods, I could hear their laughter, and I cried. I sat there and tried to tell myself it is just a thing, just a house, but even the look on my wife's face told me she felt what I was feeling, we were home.

I offered the seller $65,000. I knew it was a low offer and would not be answered but we felt we had to try. The reality is I'm not sure U.S. Bank would loan us the full amount.

We will not go back out there, it hurt too much and too deep, I know it will never bring $129,900 because it needs too much work. 
But here is the listing 
​https://www.lsn.com/homes-land/house-in-rickman/6294104.htm lwww.lsn.com/homes-land/house-in-rickman/6294104.html 

I hope whoever buys it takes care of our happy memories, the parties, the gatherings, the 1st time our boys walked, the first of everything. And I hope the items we buried remain where they are.

The house today, these photos were taken by the seller and are in the listing.