The main building of the high school was built in 1969, four years after the three suburbs of Green Tree, Dormont and Castle Shannon combined their students to form a common school district.

The high school was built on a 43-acre (170,000 m2) tract of land in neighboring Mount Lebanon, just outside the southwest border of Dormont.

The site adjoined the Kelton Avenue Elementary School, which no longer exists.

The name was suggested by Thomas Clark, of the Class of 1965, and was chosen as part of a student competition to name the new school district.

This precipitated a massive redesign of the grounds, including the demolition of a little-used outdoor amphitheatre and the construction of a band practice field and new tennis courts.