Alameda science teacher visits Antarctica with National Geographic group

For most, a trip to Antarctica would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience — for Jenny Hartigan, a science teacher at Alameda’s Lincoln Middle School, it was also a chance to bring back firsthand knowledge of how seemingly unspoiled areas are being affected by things we may not even notice here, such as the impact single-use plastics can have on a region at the other end of the Earth.

The 25-year educator was one of 34 teachers from Canada and the United States chosen from more than 500 applicants...