Viviana Bakshani
Originally Published in the June 4th Print Publication
Every weekday morning, like clockwork, at approximately 8:13 AM, a tall, lean figure wearing sunglasses can be seen near the back entrance to the second building. Clutching in his hands small, A4-sized posters on printer paper, usually advocating for free speech, tolerance, and/or anti-authoritarian messaging, North Creek junior Jaxon Berner stands quietly, holding the doors open and nodding to anyone who bothers to thank him for his unsolicited service.
It started off as a way to kill time. “At first it was just like, [to] pass the time, because I hated being early in my classes,” he says. But as the days turned into weeks, something changed. “…after a while, I started noticing other people doing it. So now it’s kind of to inspire people to be better,” claims Jaxon.
No, it’s not officially sanctioned. There are no volunteer hours awarded, no ASB recognition assigned, no Instagram page. But that’s the point.
What started off as a personal time-killer has now transformed into a quiet yet powerful statement of resistance. Jaxon isn’t just “loitering” before first period. He’s protesting. In his own words: “…it’s effective in raising awareness, which is what I intend to do with it…people just aren’t aware of these issues, and they should be.”
Behind the brief nods and slight awkwardness lies someone deeply committed to social change. Jaxon is a part of the Students Against Facism, a small yet vocal group advocating for political literacy, anti-authoritarian messages, and school-friendly quiet protesting. Similarly, A4-printer paper posters advocating similar causes hang in the alcove in front of the Bookeeper’s.
The mission is clear: encouraging students to think critically and closely about political happenings and to rise against authoritarian tendencies.
And Jaxon doesn’t go unnoticed. He sees the students passing by who stop to read his poster. He notices the people who talk with their friends about him and the issues he’s raising awareness for. “…when people see it, they start talking about with their friends, there a lot of people would, act like: ‘Hey, who’s that,’ you know…” he says.
Still, Jaxon isn’t looking for recognition. His teachers tolerate him being late and he sees this continuing into his senior year. He stops at 8:13 and makes a mad dash to class. But it’s the cause that really matters.
“I think, you know, something as simple as that [quiet activism] can…make you a better person. So…everybody should, at least, you know, try to make those changes,” he concludes on his own activism.