The school opened in late 1971 as the Gordon Robertson Educational Centre with 278 students and 28 teachers.

[3] The school was built by two companies, Maurice Carrier Inc. and Wilfrid Legars Inc., both of Sainte-Foy, Quebec, at a cost of $3.3 million.

[4][3] Canadian Industries Limited built the school's exterior walls from prefabricated glass-fiber reinforced plastic, a light-weight material that would reduce shipping costs.

[4][5] The panels were designed to withstand winds of 100 miles per hour (161 km/h), which sometimes occur in the area.

[4] Exterior windows were made of three layers of glass, similar to the type used on airplanes, in order to provide thermal insulation.