Author: Christian Marshall

  • Lexington teen earns $90,000 scholarship at national science and math competition

    Lexington teen earns $90,000 scholarship at national science and math competition

    Jerry Xu is pictured with his project poster at the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026. / Credit: Regeneron Science Talent Search

    Lexington High School senior Jerry Xu believes that science can be approached in two ways. The first is through a textbook; the second is by making it come to life around you.

    Xu, 17, chose the second path. On March 10, he earned a $90,000 scholarship for placing fifth at the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. Xu created an Artificial Intelligence model that compares the three-dimensional structure of proteins, the molecules that build and repair tissue in the human body. From more than 2,000 applicants, judges selected him as one of 40 finalists to present independent research at the Regeneron Science Talent Institute in Washington, D.C.

    Genetic and medical researchers compare protein structures to understand how molecules function. Small variations in shape can alter a protein’s behavior and trigger disease. Xu’s tool reduced the time needed to analyze proteins from hours to minutes by converting them into correlated numerical patterns of the same size, rather than the current methods, which compare proteins of different sizes.

    Xu’s finish in the Regeneron competition is the highlight of a high school career defined by accomplishment. Last October, he led a team that created an AI chatbot that answers questions about the Lexington High School building project. He co-founded a summer lecture series that teaches biology and math to students of all ages, tutored programming students at the KTBYTE academy in Burlington, and captained the Lexington High School Science Bowl team to a regional championship.

    “I think that as a high schooler, using [science] in my community is one of the easiest and most impactful ways for me to apply my knowledge,” Xu said. “I’m really grateful that the town of Lexington is willing to accept me and try to guide me towards designing these products that are going to help the community.”

    ​Xu devoted the past year to researching, developing and coding his model through the MIT PRIMES Program, a year-long curriculum that offers research resources to high school students in the Boston area under the mentorship of Dr. Gil Alterovitz and Dr. Shaojun Pei, both of Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

    “One thing that really struck me is [Jerry’s] passion, his ability to think about things deeply and think about how to explore things at a deep level,” Alterovitz said. 

    Xu hopes researchers and scientists will use his tool to improve protein genetic analysis. He plans to continue working on the model after the competition.

    “There’s a couple of ideas that I have for my project. One of them is to expand the scale of my model,” he said. “There’s a lot of different directions that I want to explore with this project before I head off to college.”

    Xu plans to use the $90,000 scholarship toward college. He’s considering the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Yale University, and other schools. Before he makes his decision, Xu will prepare for the National Science Bowl in April and his approaching high school graduation. 

    This story was written by a journalism student in BU’s Newsroom program, a partnership between the university, The Lexington Observer and other news organizations in the Boston area.

  • Lexington High School senior signs with professional ultimate Frisbee team

    Lexington High School senior signs with professional ultimate Frisbee team

    Ultimate Frisbee player Max Coe / Courtesy: Max Coe

    Lexington High School senior Max Coe has signed with the Boston Glory, a professional ultimate Frisbee team, the team announced March 3.

    During his four years at Lexington, Coe played for the school’s ultimate squad, the Hucking Fooligans, which finished the 2025 season ranked No. 20 in the nation, according to UltiWorld, a website that tracks international news about the sport. He also served as co-captain of the 2024 team that earned an invitation to the national championships, the program’s third trip to nationals in its 27-year history.

    “I’ve known about this team for a few years,” Coe said about joining the Glory. “It’s always been my goal to play professionally.”

    The Glory is one of 24 teams in the Ultimate Frisbee Association, the largest ultimate Frisbee league in North America since its founding in 2012. The league’s growth has led to a following of more than 130,000 YouTube subscribers and over 300,000 Instagram followers.

    Coe’s team, The Boston Glory, is based in Medford, Mass., and is the UFA’s defending champion. Glory Head Coach Sam Rosenthal said the team had been aware of Coe’s talent for more than a year and signed him once he turned 18. The team’s schedule amounts to part-time work; Coe hasn’t yet made any decisions about college. 

    “We’ve known for a long time that Max is a player with a lot of potential,” Rosenthal said. “He’s got size, the motor, the disc skills and he’s got the athleticism. He checks a lot of boxes.”

    Coe combined that talent with a work ethic that made him a leader and impact player for his high school team in the biggest moments.

    “He very quickly established himself as a team leader and someone who we could rely on to give us the plays that we needed at critical moments,” said Larry David, Lexington High School’s ultimate head coach. “He rose to the occasion when we needed him. He’s a clutch player that way.”

    Coe’s talent earned him a spot on the U.S. U-20 national team, which will compete in the 2026 World Junior Ultimate Championships in July in Logroño, Spain. He was one of more than 200 athletes invited to try out for the national team. He won a spot on the mixed-gender roster as one of 24 players.

    “For a high school player to be at that level and be recognized at that level and be able to contribute is awesome,” David said.

    Once Coe returns from the national team, he will have to adjust to several differences at the pro level. It may take time to adjust to the larger playing field and a position on defense, but his coach believes he will adapt quickly. 

    “I think it’s a huge adjustment,” Rosenthal said, “but Max is going to be able to make that adjustment, I think, quicker than others.”

    Coe has already had his first practice with the Glory and believes the support he’s received from his teammates will lead him to success as a pro.   

    “I’ve known a lot of these people for a while,” Coe said. “With all the support and the help and advice they’ve given me, it has really allowed me to be the player I am today.”

    Coe will begin the season with the Glory on April 25 at Hormel Stadium in Medford, Mass.

    This story was written by a journalism student in BU’s Newsroom program, a partnership between the university, The Lexington Observer and other news organizations in the Boston area.

  • Lexington Women’s Track and Field team eyes nationals

    Lexington Women’s Track and Field team eyes nationals

    Lexington Girls Indoor Track and Field Division 1 Champions / Photo Credit: Stephen Cho

    The Lexington High School women’s track and field team won its second straight Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1 indoor championship last week, more than doubling the score of second-place Central Catholic, and will send 26 athletes to the New Balance National Indoor Meet in Boston running tomorrow through Sunday.

    The women tore through the Middlesex League regular season undefeated at 5-0, then carried that momentum into the championship meet with five athletes placing first in individual and relay events.

    But as the winter season comes to a close, the Minutemen’s women turn their attention to the upcoming national meet, where Lexington’s standout seniors and emerging young athletes are preparing to compete against the best high schoolers in the nation.

    “We are in a unique period of time with this group of athletes, where almost everyone on the team is incredibly talented,” said Lexington track and field head coach Rebecca Trachsel. “The combination of their strength as athletes and their mental strength is like nothing I’ve ever experienced to date.”

    Of the 26 women preparing to represent Lexington over the next four days, none stand out more than senior thrower Ainsley Cuthbertson, who is ranked No. 1 in the country in the 20-pound weight throw and holds the Massachusetts state record in shot put.

    The senior captain’s dominance in throwing events belies her reserved demeanor. Often emitting no more than a small grunt as she propels projectiles farther than any high school woman in the country, Cuthbertson’s multiple school, state and national records speak to her dedication to the sport.

    “She came in freshman year, very driven, excited to learn and said to [Lexington throwing coach] Coach [James] Hall, ‘I will do anything it takes to be the best in the country,’” said Trachsel. “She works throughout the summer. She works in the fall. It’s because of that … she has gotten to the point that she’s at now.”

    The senior’s work ethic has propelled her from not qualifying for nationals as a freshman to her final indoor season, where she hopes to win the national championship.

    “This year has been a pretty huge year for me on the national scale, which has been really cool,” Cuthbertson said. “My goal is to win the weight throw at both national meets.”

    On the track, members of the Lexington team are transitioning from the team-first mentality of the regular season to a more individual mentality as they prepare for nationals.

    “The bigger meets we thought about more as a team, but this is more individual, picturing your own race,” said sophomore long-distance runner Jane Conrad. “Trying to do it for yourself and trying to prove to yourself what you can do.”

    For Conrad, proving herself means taking on the nation’s best in the 5,000-meter event, a race she has only run once during the indoor season. She finished fourth overall and broke the school record at the USA Track & Field New England Indoor Track & Field Championship on Feb. 22.

    “I just want to work on racing a bunch of people at the national level,” she said. “I’ve only run it once on the track, and I just want to work on racing with a bunch of people around me.”

    For fellow sophomore Amelia Whorton, the upcoming meet is another chance to succeed in multiple events, a role she has quickly earned in her two years at Lexington. Whorton won first place in the 1,000-meter, 1-mile, and 4×800 relay events at the division championship and already holds school records in the 600-meter, 800-meter, 1,000-meter, and one-mile events.

    “She will step up to any opportunity, both individually and on a relay, if it gives her an opportunity to display what she’s capable of,” Trachsel said. “I think there’s a part of her that loves the challenge of seeing what she’s capable of every time she does it.”

    Whether it’s Cuthbertson in the throwing circle or Conrad and Whorton on the track, Lexington’s women aspire to ride the team’s momentum and make a mark on the biggest stage of the season.

    This story was written by a journalism student in BU’s Newsroom program, a partnership between the university, The Lexington Observer and other news organizations in the Boston area.

  • Lexington considers “Skip the Stuff” bylaw to cut restaurant waste

    Lexington Town Meeting Members will vote on a citizens’ petition to adopt a “Skip the Stuff” bylaw that would require local restaurants to ask customers before adding single-use plastic utensils or condiment packets to takeout orders. The vote will take place during the annual Town Meeting beginning March 30.

    “The point of the bylaw is for the restaurants to have to ask as opposed to automatically just putting this stuff in there when people don’t need it,” said Laura Swain, primary petitioner of the bylaw and a member of the Lexington Waste Reduction Task Force. 

    The “Skip the Stuff” initiative is part of a national campaign by the same name. Cities including Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C., have adopted it, with California, Washington and New York establishing similar legislation at the state level.

    In Massachusetts, a “Skip the Stuff” bill sponsored by state Rep. Michelle Ciccolo was referred to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources last February. Newton, Brookline, Wellesley and Swampscott have already passed similar laws. 

    The petition builds on the town’s Zero Waste Plan, which was adopted in 2023. Lexington began phasing out the use and distribution of single-use water bottles in 2024 and has since launched a curbside composting program and a reusable food container initiative for local restaurants.    

    When petitioners visited more than 70 percent of restaurants, they discovered that some Lexington eateries were already in compliance with the spirit of “Skip the Stuff,” with restaurants such as Avenue Deli, Royal Indian Bistro and Clay Oven publicly supporting the bylaw.

    Other restaurant owners said the change could hinder customer service and prevent customers from getting the utensils they need. 

    According to the official motion, the town’s Board of Health would enforce the proposed bylaw. A restaurant’s second violation would result in a $25 fine; a third, $50.

    “We are passionate about reducing waste, but we also don’t want to be this burdensome government bylaw,” said Alex Tsouvalas, a member of the Lexington Waste Reduction Task Force. “We want to support these small businesses. We wanted to engage them and have them be part of the dialogue.” 

    On the surface, the proposed policy may seem trivial, supporters say, but they believe “skipping the stuff” is an important step in Lexington’s commitment to reducing waste. 

    “Our Skip the Stuff” bylaw initiative, I think, folds really well into this landscape with the town,” said Janet Kern, a petitioner of the bylaw and vice president of the nonprofit LexZeroWaste. “More people are aware of this unnecessary waste cluttering their drawers at home, just being thrown right into the trash. So, I think people are ready for this.”

    If passed, the bylaw would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. 

    This story was written by a journalism student in BU’s Newsroom program, a partnership between the university, The Lexington Observer and other news organizations in the Boston area.