RANGELEY — The RSU 78 board Tuesday heard two faculty presentations on the Rangeley Lakes Regional School literacy programs.

First-grade teacher Donna Brown spoke on the components of the literacy block, with instruction based on flexible grouping to increase individual instruction time. The focus is on phonetics, fluency, comprehension and grammar, while maintaining the child’s interest, motivation and engagement, she said.

Second-grade teacher Priscilla St. Louis spoke on a recent extension of the second-grade literacy program, which involved the biography of Snowflake Bartley, the first person to photograph snowflakes in the 19th century. The class did its own snowflake study, collecting and examining the flakes under a microscope.

Acting on requests from faculty members Lucy Simonds and Erin Smith, the board approved field trips for the Outing Club to Bryant Pond on March 6-8, and to Maine Forest Yurts in Durham, which will be scheduled for late February to mid-March.

Superintendent Sue Prat reported that the school is the recipient of a $25,000-a-year grant for seven years from the Gear Up program, which increases awareness and preparation for post-secondary education. The school will form a College Access Committee to increase awareness and aspiration among students.

Fifth-grader Evan Smith won the school’s spelling bee last week and will go on to the county bee in Farmington.

Student representative Jake Farmer said the Student Council has approved several fundraisers, most involving sale of sports paraphernalia at games.

The Building Committee reported that it met with the architects for the school renovation. The committee saw three drawings and the architects will return next week with more.

Shirley Schrader, Gifted and Talented program teacher/coordinator and Title I instructor, will retire at the end of this school year, it was announced.