Several students and staff pose with a poster showing the new AT&T telephone book cover, a tribute to the determination of Joplin Schools in finding the temporary location at the Northpark Mall for Joplin High School in the aftermath of the May 22, 2011 tornado. To the right of the poster is John R. Sondag, president of AT&T Missouri who unveiled the design to Dr. Kerry Sachetta, JHS principal. The cover sponsored by Meyer Communications features the mall space that was transformed in record time to provide state-of-the-art educational facilities for juniors and seniors.

About 134,000 copies of the directory will be distributed, including on racks at AT&T Wireless stores and several local chambers of commerce for anyone wanting a copy. Recycling old copies of the phone book is encouraged; go to Keep America Beautiful, www.kab.org, to find a recycling location near you.

As an interesting side-note, when Sondag made the announcement that down the road AT&T will consider what else they can do for the school system, Anne Sharp, a member of the R-8 Board of Education, retorted, send money.