Montreal high school students do thousands of chin-ups to inspire, uplift each other

CTV News

2 days ago

It was a great feat for students at Options and Venture high schools in Montreal: 20,000 chin-ups together. (Christine Long/CTV News)
It was a great feat for students at Options and Venture high schools in Montreal: 20,000 chin-ups together.
Their motto: 'All go, no quit,' could he heard echoing from the gym, where they've been doing chin-ups for weeks, taking turns on the bar with classmates and new friends.
'It feels good. It's like a sense of community, not doing it by yourself,' said Ryan Baki, an Options student. 'There are other people helping you, cheering you on.'
It's a leadership class project challenge dedicated to the students' families, with each classmate writing a letter to the person they are thinking of as they pull their body weight up.
'I'm doing chin-ups for a family member who's struggling with addiction, and I hope this encourages them to keep their chin up during their hardest battles,' said Olivia Clark–Gauthier, a Grade 10 student.
'I'm doing this for my mother,' adds Marley Angutiqjuaq, a Grade 9 student. 'She's dealing with a lot right now. Depression, divorce and grief.'
The message is 'stay strong,' according to event co-organizer and teacher Jason Gannon.
'Do not give up, to not have their head down just because they might be down right now, but to keep that chin up,' he said.
Every year, the leadership project tests students' resilience in meaningful ways.
'To challenge themselves in ways that they probably wouldn't have even thought of had they not come here and been put through rigorous academic and physical challenges,' explained teacher and co-organizer James Bray.
The aim of the activity is to teach and inspire mutual greatness.
One of the students, Olive Justicia-Acosta, says she went from not being able to do one pull-up to being 'the chin-up champ.'
She just got accepted into Dawson College.
'In the future, I won't be as hesitant to take on difficult challenges,' said Justicia-Acosta.
It's a powerful feeling for teenagers who are making their way forward in school and life.
'Their energy, their emotions, their empathy has an outlet, and they're proud to tell that person that they're thinking about, about what they've done in honour of them,' said Gannon.