Coghlan Elementary School is situated at 4452-256 Street on 6.87 acres of property, purchased from Mr. Tall of Tall Acres Farm. Originally, it was two-room school built in 1959. A third classroom was added in 1962, in addition to a covered play area which was converted to a fourth classroom later in the 60s. When first opened, the school housed grades one to six with a grade seven class added in September, 1962. A kindergarten class was added in 1983. A library was built in 1969 and a half gym in 1973. When additional land adjoining the school became available in 1974, the School Board purchased an extra two and a half acres. The extra space provided enough room for the construction of an adventure playground and better playing fields.
The first teachers at the school were Mrs. Blacklock and Mr. Bolton in 1959-60. The following year, Mr. Sivers and Miss Vandergugten taught there. Head teachers during the 1960s were Reink Koat, Isaac Braun, Keith Trask, and Jim Babchuk. For some years Coghlan was annexed to North Otter. Vice principals during this time were Ted Akune and Ron Alto. Mr. G. Walker served as principal for a few years. Wayne Wiebe was principal/teacher at the school for many years, with a break in-between, before he retired in 2001.
Some of the more recent long-term teachers have been Fay Morelli (23 years), Marjorie Dergousoff (23 years), and Arlene Barichello (23 years). Recent long-term C.U.P.E. staff include Marlene Wallace, Gereldene McKinley, Darlene Gifford, and Debbie James.
Built in one of Langley’s long-established farming areas, the school has a sense of family and of community, because of its small size and the friendly, rural setting in which it is placed.
The Coghlan students won trophies at the Langley Kinsmen Track and Field Meet four years in succession during the early 1960s. Soccer and baseball were popular in the early years of the school. The students were involved in the Langley Walk and received a trophy for the best percentage of participants for a few years.
Coghlan has always had a very active PTA/PAC, which has helped with school activities and major fund-raising which went towards equipping the new computer lab. Coghlan School and Coghlan Road (256) were named after Robert and his half brothers, Nathaniel and Henry Coghlan. They moved to Langley from Ontario in 1882. Nathaniel and Henry took up land east and west of 256 at 64. In 1910 they subdivided their land and returned to Ontario, but later returned to Langley. The area and the nearby stop on the BC Electric Interurban line were named “Coghlan” after these men in recognition of their efforts in cutting some 20,000 ties for the rail line.
In September, 1995, the school expanded with a new library, computer lab, boys’ and girls’ change rooms, two new intermediate classrooms, a handicapped washroom, two Learning Assistance/Resource rooms, a new administration main office, a staff room, a nurse’s room, and a copier room.
The school sits on 6.87 acres, has a chain link fence, playground equipment, an asphalt play court, and a standard and mini grass field. It is still served by a septic tank for waste. There is a drilled deep well which provides the water. The building is of wood frame construction, except for the concrete block gym. The windows are wood, and the exterior finish is wood siding and stucco.
As of April 27,2004, the Board of School Trustees has designated the school as Coghlan Fundamental Elementary School. It is hoped that this new designation will attract more students to the area so that the school, which was threatened with closure in 2003, will be able to stay open in the future. In September, 2004, the school’s population is 165.
