Earlier today, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, in partnership with Novelis, the team’s official aluminum recycling partner, announced the winners of the second annual Novelis Community Recycling Challenge. Over a four‑week period, more than 1,000 David T. Howard Middle School students collected recyclable materials, and the sixth graders, comprised of 433 students, were ultimately declared the winners. To celebrate everyone’s efforts, the school hosted a wrap party.
“Congratulations to the sixth graders at David T. Howard Middle School on winning the second annual community recycling challenge. It’s always fulfilling to see students so excited and enthusiastic about recycling,” said Geoffrey Stiles, Senior Vice President, Facilities and Arena Operations for the Hawks and State Farm Arena. “Novelis has been an incredible partner with this initiative because not only do they help teach the students about sustainability, but also they simplify it in ways that resonate with the children and make it fun.”
The contest rules were simple: the grade that collected the most recycling materials at the end of the challenge would be the winners. The entire student body collected nearly 800 pounds of recyclables and more than 3,000 aluminum cans. The sixth graders secured the victory for the second year in a row by collecting a total of 428 pounds of recycling materials and 1,488 cans. The 2025 recycling challenge yielded 638 pounds of recyclables and 4,568 aluminum cans.
This year, the contest included a media project. Students were grouped by grade level, and the top two projects from each grade advanced to a final round, where they competed against the best submissions from all other grades.
Students were challenged to document the school’s recycling initiative, taking responsibility for capturing b-roll, interviews, and behind‑the‑scenes (BTS) footage. A panel of media professionals evaluated the final projects, and the overall winner received a special prize along with a unique basketball experience provided by Novelis and the Atlanta Hawks.
“This competition illustrates to us all how a small action like recycling adds up. Novelis is always encouraged to see youth working together to champion sustainability and recycling,” said Ashley Walsh, Senior Manager of Social Impact and Partnerships for Novelis. “As the world’s largest recycler of aluminum, we’re so proud of the student leaders, the staff, and students at David T. Howard Middle School and of course, the sixth graders for showing our community the power of teamwork and environmental stewardship.”
The event began with Walsh presenting the winners with their trophy. Entertainment was provided by the ATL Dancers, Hawks Flight Crew, a drumline, and DJ Mo. CanMan, the mascot of Novelis, also made an appearance. The festivities continued with a photo booth, basketball drills led by the Hawks Basketball Academy coaches, and a variety of curated activities. The evening concluded with each participant receiving Hawks and Novelis merchandise to commemorate the challenge.
In February 2025, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena and Novelis announced that they extended their sustainability-focused partnership. Since 2021, the downtown venue and Novelis have leveraged the power of live sports and entertainment to spread awareness about the importance of recycling and sustainability.
To learn more about the organization’s commitment to sustainability, visit StateFarmArena.com/sustainability.
