Parker Greaves is a 9th grader at Ashland High School. She and all of the other 9th graders have been brought into this school at a time of online learning and a challenging time for the educational community. Greaves spoke on her experiences of not only COVID-related struggles, but also on her own life experiences.

In these times COVID is all people can often think about, especially since it touches almost all facets of everyone’s lives – Greaves’s life is no exception. Concerning COVID and the camaraderie that has come along with it, “The one thing that we can all agree on is we don’t like this breakout room. We all hate breakout rooms you know and it’s kind of nice to have a common ground…. All of the freshmen are experiencing the same thing right now or like variations on the same thing.” Greaves has found a good community built on the distaste of COVID-related restrictions that have been placed on many students right now. She was glad to find that even though she had been going to Willow Wind for grades k-8th and thus didn’t have many classmates that she recognizes, she at least knows a conversation starter or two at the expense of COVID, “We’re all coming from different schools and so it’s nice to have that common ground of like ‘oh this really sucks.’” Greaves has also found community through Drama Club and QSA virtual club meetings. Misery loves company and it seems that the 9th graders are making the best of a bad situation with this company, or at least Greaves and her English class breakout room are.

Greaves also is a big fan of expressing herself through creative writing, to the point that she’s been working on a novel since the 7th grade. Although she feels she still has a lot to fix up in it, she considers finishing her current draft her biggest accomplishment. “I’ve never been able to finish a long story like that. I start things and then I don’t finish them… I’m pretty proud of myself for actually following through.” Her novel is a coming-of-age story with a reserved main character. She doesn’t feel like she outwardly relates to her main character all that much. However, she does feel like she was able to explore a part of herself that usually she wouldn’t be able to connect with through her. Much like other famous novels, hers includes a lovable side character. She even admitted to liking some of her side characters more than her protagonist. This side character plays both the role of best friend and love interest. “She’s just like this ball of energy…. She’s a little bit like me or more how I wish I was – She’s cooler than I am” Exploring different facets of oneself through seemingly completely different characters is nothing new to many writers. Greaves is looking at ways to publish her novel at some point in the future so that all may enjoy her story as much as she has.

Having so many different skills ranging from violin to creative writing to acting is helping this 9th grader pass the time of quarantine. Look out for this adept student in your classes and on campus once students can return. Perhaps her name will appear in playbills or on bookshelves as well.