the first site considered was near laidley field, next to the west virginia state capitol. this was abandoned in favor of a track and field hall of fame (which was never built) and a second site was selected on greenbrier street near the airport. however, when an airplane crashed on this site, it was abandoned, and today is an office park. the board then decided on a location on a hilltop about five miles from town that was formerly a country club for golfing and had a swimming pool. although located in a rural setting, it is typically considered an inner-city school due the majority of its students coming from an inner-city environment. this system of busing from an urban location to a closed campus in a remote setting was successful in controlling many urban problems and was later copied by huntington high school and wheeling park high school.