On Tuesday, March 11, 2008, a team of CHAD students won took the championship title in “The BIG Pitch” advertising competition defeating two-time champions Roxborough High School. CHAD students on the winning team were: Jovan Ellis, David Mullowney, Keshava Stanford-Carter, Kevin Valentin, and Rattanak Yin.

The Big Pitch is a competition created in 2004 by David W. Brown and his Philadelphia-based advertising agency, BrownPartners, as a way to expose inner city high school students to careers in advertising. The students were matched up with advertising agency coaches from agencies Red Tettemer and The Engine Room to learn the fundamentals of how advertising campaigns are devised, how target audiences are reached and how campaigns are implemented. The students also participate in a six week program called “The Big Pitch Institute” that provides after school classes that teach them about advertising principles and careers in the field.

"We are so pleased with CHAD's performance this year”, David W. Brown, President of BrownPartners and Creator of The Big Pitch, said. "In the 2007 competition, CHAD was unable to complete the competition. To come back in 2008 to win it all is a great testimony to their perseverance and dedication to learning from the past, and growing for the future."

The winners received $1500 to split between CHAD and the winning team. Jovan Ellis, the team’s MVP, was awarded full tuition to the University of the Arts Pre-College Summer Institute. All other team members were awarded full tuition to the Unviersity of the Arts Pre-College Saturday School.

The three esteemed judges for the competition were: Kim Everett, Director of Communications for State Senator Vincent Hughes; Sharmain Matlock-Turner, Pres., Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition; and Douglas Oliver, Press Secretary for Mayor Michael Nutter.