The Push Up Challenge has drawn to a close at the end of term 2 for 2024. The challenge lead by Henry Ferns (HPE Captain) and the Push Up Captains in each Pastoral Care group, the Whitefriars Community surpassed our aim of trying to get 200,000 push ups over the course of the 3 weeks of the challenge. We achieved a record 252, 693 push ups in 2024. We also managed to finish 6^th in the category of Education Communities in Victoria, just behind Yarra Valley Grammar, Camberwell Grammar, Melbourne Grammar, St Bedes College and St Josephs Geelong who finished first. We also finished 27^th in the Australia Wide Education Community Tally.

Each pastoral care group contributed each morning reading out facts that contribute to mental health issues in Australia, before performing and banking the completed push ups, helping to smash the stigma around mental health and learning more about what affects all groups in our population.

The following pastoral care groups were the top contributors from each House in our Community with the following push up totals for their groups:

• Avila 1-                14,648 push ups
• Brandsma 3 –    7,656 push ups
• Corsini 1-            21, 564 push ups
• Edith Stein 5-     5,115 push ups
• Lisieux 3-            9,468 push ups
• Mantua 4-          18,659 push ups
• Soreth 1-            29, 752 push ups
• Trinity 4-             4,745 push ups

The Whitefriars Community House Totals of Push Ups banked over duration of challenge contributing to our tally of 252,693.

1. Soreth –               62,973
2. Avila-                   39,332
3. Corsini –              37, 328
4. Mantua –            30, 881
5. Brandsma-         29, 649
6. Lisieux-               19, 727
7. Edith Stein-        17, 035
8. Trinity-                15,768

Congratulations to the House of Soreth who banked the most push ups over the course of the 3 weeks, followed by Avila then Corsini. A terrific effort by all Houses.

So if you were a student or staff member that did one push up or many, or a parent or guardian who supported your son’s to complete the challenge or simply enjoyed hearing about his progress, thank you for your invaluable contribution to the Push Up Challenge in 2024- we hope to continue to support Mental Health in 2025!

Mrs Katherine Smith

Learning Leader – Health and Physical Education