January 16, 2026
The 2025-26 school year marks a milestone for Moorhead Area Public Schools (MAPS) as the Spanish Immersion Program officially celebrates its 25th anniversary. Since its inception at the turn of the millennium, the program has grown from a visionary pilot into a cornerstone of the district's commitment to global citizenship and academic rigor.
Over the years, the Spanish Immersion program has grown and moved across different buildings:
2000: Spanish Immersion launches at Probstfield Elementary School with one kindergarten class.
2001-2005: The program adds a new kindergarten class each year as the existing classes move up toward fifth grade.
2004: With the opening of Horizon Middle School and S.G. Reinertsen Elementary—along with Ellen Hopkins and Robert Asp reopening as elementary schools—Spanish Immersion moves to Ellen Hopkins Elementary, its elementary home for the next 19 years.
2018: When Horizon Middle School West opens, creating a grade 5-6 campus, Spanish Immersion adds sixth grade to go with the fifth grade class that moves to West.
2023: In a full circle moment, the elementary portion of the program moves back to its roots at Probstfield Elementary.
The legacy of the Spanish Immersion Program is best measured by the success of its students. Since 2000, over 1,800 students have participated in Spanish Immersion—speaking, thinking and learning in a second language.
“I think the draw of Spanish Immersion can be learning a second language, gaining that worldview and understanding perspectives of others,” explained Probstfield Elementary principal Jessica Rieniets. “That’s really enticing to a lot of families.”
Beyond the benefit of bilingualism, the program has consistently delivered on its promise of academic excellence. Data shows that students who participate in the Spanish Immersion Program typically achieve higher MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) scores than the state average, proving that learning in two languages enhances cognitive development and core subject mastery. And the upside doesn’t stop when a student graduates.
“The research is really strong that people who are multilingual learners as kids have higher executive function and are even less likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease later in life,” added Rieniets, who started as a student teacher in the Spanish Immersion program in 2004.
MAPS will be celebrating this exciting milestone for Spanish Immersion across the district social media channels, including a video with participation by current students in every grade across the district and a bilingual social media takeover during the week of February 2.
Kindergarten registration for the 2026-27 school year, including for the Spanish Immersion program at Probstfield, will open on March 2. Information on the upcoming year of the program will be available at Probstfield’s Keys to Kindergarten program, scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, February 19. Registration for Keys to Kindergarten is available online.