Eugene Coste School is located in the southwest community of Haysboro and currently houses the Spanish Bilingual Program for Kindergarten to Grade 5 students living in the designated catchment areas. We work closely with Canyon Meadows School, which is also a K-5 Spanish Bilingual site. Resources between these two south International Spanish Academy (ISA) Schools are often shared and administrations at both sites are in frequent communication.
The original u-shaped wing of our building was built in 1959 and is situated on 5.5 acres. The area containing the offices, library, and upper level was added in 1967. The school has 23 classrooms, a library, gymnasium, music room, and a designated art room. Our facility is wheelchair accessible and is surrounded by a large field with a creative playground.
Who Was Eugene Coste?
Mr. Coste was born in Ontario in 1859. He lived in France and Egypt but moved back to Canada when he was 24 to work
as a mining engineer and businessman. When Mr. Coste headed west, it was to develop gas reserves for the CPR. In 1911, he formed the Canadian Western Natural Gas Company. Within a year, gas was flowing from the Bow Island to Calgary via a 275-km pipeline, the longest of its kind in Canada at the time. In 1912, the first gas reached the city, where more than 10,000 people gathered for the flare-lighting ceremony. Thus began the use of natural gas in southern Alberta as a fuel for heat and light. Mr. Coste also built a 28-room mansion in the Mount Royal district which later served as Calgary's major art centre and today is a private residence.
