Atlanta Hawks Center Al Horford Visits School In Griffin

Al Horford visits Atkinson Elementary School in Griffin
Atkinson Elementary fifth grader Dante' Graydon (right) poses with Atlanta Hawks star Al Horford (center) and Atkinson Road Elementary Principal Aveory Allen after an anti-bullying rally Thursday morning at the school.

Atlanta Hawks All-Star center Al Horford visited Atkinson Elementary School Thursday morning and had breakfast with Dante' Graydon before taking part in an anti-bullying pep rally.

Graydon was the grand prize winner of the "Why Bully Free Is The Way To Be" essay contest, which asked students to write about the dangers of bullying.

The two ate a private breakfast before bringing breakfast, courtesy of Chick-fil-A, to the fifth-grader's home room class. The contest was held as part of the Read to Achieve program presented by Philips.

Additionally, Graydon and each grade level winner of the contest will be recognized during an on-court ceremony with Horford prior to the Hawks-Knicks game which tips off 6:30 p.m., Sunday at Philips Arena.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Horford - who had a season-high 31 points and 16 rebounds in an 83-80 win Wednesday at home against the Chicago Bulls - currently leads the Hawks in rebounding (9.9 rpg), while he's third in scoring (16.3 ppg) behind Joe Johnson (19.2 ppg) and Josh Smith (16.7 ppg). Horford also averages 3.6 assists, 1.02 blocks and .82 steals per game.

The Hawks continue their season at home 7:30 p.m., Friday night against Oklahoma City.