SVC encourages lifelong learning with Road Scholar program (AP) — Gathered around a map displaying whales of the Salish Sea, about two dozen students politely raised their hands to ask The Whale Museum's Cindy Hansen questions about local mammals. The men and women sitting in front of Hansen — all at least 50 years old — were taking part in a Road Scholar event hosted by Skagit Valley College's San Juan Center. Last week, a group of Road Scholar students from throughout the country came to Friday Harbor to learn about the history, culture and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. "Engaging your mind is inspiring and uplifting," said Randy Martin, director of the college's San Juan Center and head of its Road Scholar program. Earlier in the day, the students listened raptly as Shona Aitken, Education Coordinator of Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, showed them a slideshow of local wildlife, including songbirds, raptors, otters and foxes. When they graduated from high school, their school in New Orleans was an experimental school for gifted students. Last week's event, "Island Hopping on Three of Washington's San Juan Islands," is one of the more popular Road Scholar events the college offers, Martin said.