After spending 24 years on Queen Anne hill, the Lifetime Learning Center is moving to the former Sand Point grade school near Magnuson Park for its 25th year. A grand opening is scheduled for Sept. 17. Classes will begin on Sept. 25.

The Lifetime Learning Center is a private non-profit company that encourages education and learning in the older population. Classes are designed for those over 50 and the average age of the 350 students is about 70. "If people exercise their minds, they are healthier," says Shirley Hauck, director of the Lifetime Learning Center.

About 40 instructors, all volunteers, teach classes in subjects such as literature, art, music, computers, finance, and wellness. Classes are eight weeks long and the school has fall, winter, and spring quarters. In the summer there is a one week summer camp, but no classes.

Hauck says Lifetime Learning Center's Sand Point location, at 6208 60th Ave. NE, features a state-of-the-art computer lab and is handicap accessible. Unlike the Queen Anne site, lots of free parking is available for students.

Hauck says that the spirit in the students is energizing, as many suffer from debilitating ailments. One 94 year-old student walked to her classes on Queen Anne everyday, while another man has rode the bus from Tacoma to his classes for the past 10 years. Carpools and vanpools are being organized to help long-time students from the Queen Anne and Magnolia areas make it to the new facility.

The Lifetime Learning Center also has gatherings such as a holiday party and instructor appreciation luncheons. "There are social opportunities as well as learning opportunities," Hauck says.