When Robinson Township’s first high school was built in 1926, it was roomy and modern. Who could ask for more? But as the school’s population grew, its walls soon began to shrink. By mid-century, Robinson High School, located on Steubenville Pike not far from today’s Propel School, found that its days were numbered.
In 1956, the Allegheny County School Board made a bold move to build seven brand new schools including Montour Junior/Senior High School in the newly formed Montour School District, which included Robinson and Kennedy townships, and Ingram and Thornburg boroughs. Montour was awarded $2 million for the building on rural Clever Road. Rigorous construction soon began, and the highly anticipated school opened in January 1959.
The new campus consisted of a large classroom building and a gym. In 1964, the new David E. Williams Junior High School opened on Gawaldo Drive in Kennedy Township, and those students moved out of the high school. Robinson Township’s population continued to grow, and a few years later, a second classroom building was added to the high school campus in time for the Class of 1969’s final school year. Underground tunnels connected the three buildings, both for student use in inclement weather and for access to underground utilities.
These tunnels became legendary and somewhat scary (there were rumors of snakes in residence), especially for students who had never used them. In reality, as 1969 grad Carol Clark Berkovitz puts it, the tunnels were “just hallways underground that were guarded closely for couples.” In fact, the tunnels could be a busy place. The track team would use the tunnels for practice in bad weather. Sock-clad students would sometimes get a running start to see how far they could slide! And every year, the physics class would race toy cars down the sloping tunnel hallway in the 500 level.
That infamous “500 level,” the lowest level of classrooms in the building that was built into the hillside along Clever Road, was itself a source of mystery. According to 1994 MHS grad Darren Molitoris, the 500 level was “where everyone went to smoke.” There was also a mysterious room down there that was partially filled with dirt. This puzzled students, but it was probably to help keep the building anchored on the hill. Nonetheless, Kathleen Kacsur Nuttall, class of 1974, found the area unsettling. “I used to hate going to the 500 level for math class. I thought it was creepy!” Others felt it was haunted.
The cold, institutional-style cafeteria provided adequate, if not overly popular, lunches for those who chose to buy rather than carry their lunches. There was little variety, but Sherri Koman Habazin, class of 1976, had a few favorites, including “pizza buns and mashed potatoes and gravy.” The tables were organized in long, end-to-end rows that were not always conducive to small groups of friends.
The old MHS occupied a large tract of land, and getting from Point A to Point B could be quite a challenge, as attested by Karen Postava Koszak, class of 1974. “I remember running up from the lower band practice field after seventh period and worrying that I might miss my bus.” Just getting from one class to another sometimes proved to be an aerobic feat!
Because the old campus was large and disorganized from the numerous additions over the years, the decision to build a completely new structure was made some 17 years ago. High school students temporarily moved to David E. Williams Middle School for the 2010-2011 school year, with David E. students temporarily assigned to local elementary schools. Some 210,205 square feet of the old high school buildings were gutted and rebuilt, and 38,300 square feet of new space was added. Of course, nothing came cheap. New technology cost $1.8 million, and the state-of-the-art athletic center cost $18 million. The total cost of the rebuild was estimated at a mind-numbing $50-60 million. (Yes, there are still a few tunnels under the new buildings!)
So many memories . . . The sounds of lockers slamming, typewriters clicking, bells screaming and announcements crackling over the intercom. The smells of the pool, the chemistry lab and the auditorium. Stairwells that were narrow, dark and hot. The little Spartan Shop (300 level) where you could buy candy, trinkets and Spartan clothing. The library’s card catalog with rows and rows of little wooden drawers containing alphabetized index cards. The gym with pull-out or hideaway bleachers (operated manually, of course). The dressing rooms under the stage in the auditorium. The cafeteria with its aged green and white floor tiles and chrome tables and chairs. Band trips where only the seniors got the coveted back of the bus. The planetarium that was “just like Buhl Planetarium, only smaller.” And who could forget the myriads of pumpkins that the seniors deposited every Halloween on a spacious lawn across the hill from the school? The list goes on.
They might have destroyed the old buildings, but they can never destroy the countless fond memories that were made there.
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