Photo Courtesy of Suhani Prakash and Ari Werthaiser

Ari Werthaiser, 12, Luke Carter, 12, and Eli Korach, 12, moments before beginning the milk challenge during B lunch.

On Friday, March 13, three boys set out on a hefty, slightly grotesque, and seemingly pointless goal: to drink 36 school-sized milk cartons, divided evenly between Ari Werthaiser, 12, Luke Carter, 12, and Elijah Korach, 12. To the average (and sane) SHS student, their quest was nothing more than a confusing spectacle. However, their efforts served a larger purpose.
In early January, the trio wanted to do something unique and memorable, all while raising money for Fashion for the Cure, a fundraising group at SHS benefiting The Dragonfly Foundation, a local pediatric cancer nonprofit.
With Werthaiser being one of the emcees of the event, Carter and Korach both being models, they were already deeply invested in FFTC’s goal. For reasons still unknown, they landed on the three of them tackling three dozen milks in the thirty minute lunch period if they raised $300 for FFTC. Within hours, the fundraising goal was met and the plan became an impending reality.
As a hypothetical, it was amusing. But even though they had been training for the big day, progressively drinking more and more milk at lunch, nothing could prepare them for what was coming. As Carter said, “It was funny in January, it’s not funny now.”
The Leaf obtained exclusive coverage of the event, interviewing the three stars ahead of the event. While Werthaiser, Carter, and Korach were all justifiably nervous for the milk, they knew they were in it for a good cause. And they had told too many people to back out now.
In the end, Werthaiser drank nine milks, Korach threw up after seven but powered through to 11 milks, and Carter drank all 12 of his milks, proving that maybe lactose and change do go hand-in-hand.