Author: Quinn McPherson

  • Food Pantry sees one of its busiest days ever

    Volunteers at the Lexington Food Pantry served more than 600 people and 211 families Saturday, the third time the pantry served more than 200 families in the organization’s 35-year history.

    The surge followed a temporary pause in the federal food assistance program in early November that increased demand beyond the typical holiday spike, according to Usha Thakrar, co-coordinator and food pantry board member. “We are seeing an increase in weekly volume,” she said. “People are anxious.” 

    The pantry, run out of the basement of the Church of our Redeemer in Lexington, has operated most Saturdays since 1990, serving Lexington residents and workers without income verification. Volunteers distributed extra food on Saturday because the food bank will be closed the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

    While no turkeys were given out on Saturday, the pantry does try to give out more Thanksgiving themed items. Bags were often filled with pumpkins, cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie.

    Susan Perullo, who has been volunteering for more than 20 years, said demand remained high even after federal food benefits resumed. “SNAP benefits only go so far,” she said. “You can only buy certain things. You can’t buy toiletries, shampoo and paper goods … so people come here for that as well.”

    The pantry receives donations from local businesses, including When Pigs Fly Breads, which donates about 24 loaves a week. The nonprofit also partners with Beantown Baby Diaper Bank, where families are able to receive donations in Lexington once a month, or in other locations across the Boston area.

    Despite Lexington’s median household income of more than $200,000  and a stubborn perception that everyone in Lexington is wealthy, organizers said need persists in many subsets of the population.

    Lexington resident James Adamson, a congregant at Temple Isaiah, was aware of the food pantry, but suggested that others in Lexington may not realize there’s a need for a food pantry in the community. “I would be surprised if you went to more affluent neighborhoods and asked people, ‘Do you go to the food pantry? Do you know one?’ I’d be surprised if they did,” Adamson said.

    Aviram Cohen has been volunteering at the pantry for more than a decade. He said the connection with neighbors is what brings him back every year. “It’s an obligation to be part of the community, serve the community, give back,” he said. “We need to be able to hug people, and this is one of the ways to hug people. To give them the feeling that we care about them and we will support them whenever they are in need.” 

    The pantry accepts food, financial contributions and volunteer applications on its website.

  • Lexington students’ MCAS scores show ongoing pandemic effects

    Standardized test scores at Lexington Public Schools remain below pre-pandemic levels, five years after COVID-19 first shuttered schools.

    Lexington is not alone in its struggle to raise scores. A Boston Globe story published in September found that statewide in 2025, scores on the standardized test known as MCAS are below 2019 and 2021 levels. 

    “Overall our results are high and the majority of students are succeeding, which we see across multiple indicators,” Superintendent Julie Hackett told LexObserver. “Our results also support continued focus on improving outcomes for certain student subgroups, and we remain deeply committed to this ongoing effort.”

    The percentage of Black 10th graders meeting state standards in reading, writing and language skills dropped from 47% in 2019 to 33% in 2025, according to data presented to the Lexington School Committee last month. The decline mirrored statewide trends. Approximately 4.5% of Lexington Public School students are Black. 

    Scores also declined among other student groups in Lexington. For example, 10th grade scores in English skills fell from 91% to 87% among white students between 2019 and 2025. During the same period, Asian students, who are typically the district’s highest MCAS performers, dipped in mathematics from 99% to 97%.

    “When we see the same decline across two different subject areas, that points to some variable that is not specific to the instruction,” said Maureen Kavanaugh, the district’s director of data strategy. “It is something bigger than just what happened in our English or math classes.” 

    “There are other shifting needs among our student population that have occurred over recent years that should be considered,” Dr. Hackett explained to LexObserver. “For example, we have had an increase in percent of students with IEPs since the pandemic, and also an increase of students with high needs receiving special education.”

    “Many hypothesized the pandemic and other national and global factors and conditions that have occurred over the last few years would have a disproportionate impact on already vulnerable and marginalized populations, and we see evidence of this in our data,” Hackett said. 

    Massachusetts voters passed a ballot measure last year that ended the requirement for students to pass the MCAS test to graduate. Lexington, along with other towns such as Winchester and Lincoln, voted against the proposition. Even so, students will still take the standardized test each year and scores will be tracked.

    Lexington is known for its academic excellence and typically places among the state’s top school systems. For example, English proficiency among Lexington’s public elementary and middle school students is the fourth highest in the state in grades 3-8, and sixth highest for 10th graders, according to the Lexington School District. Forbes ranks Lexington as the seventh-wealthiest town in Massachusetts. 

    Lexington has created a strategy to raise scores, assess student needs and adjust teaching strategies. The plan is currently being implemented, and school district officials say it should be fully incorporated in classrooms in two years.

    “If anyone can truly close opportunity gaps, it’s Lexington,” Hackett said. “We have outstanding teachers and educational leaders who are working to address and narrow equity gaps for Black students and students with disabilities.”

    Kavanaugh said classroom supervision and evaluation are the next steps in improving test scores. The goal, she said, is to understand the themes and patterns of scores and adjust to the needs of students. 

  • Lexington’s third annual Porchfest returns Sept. 27

    Lexington’s streets, or rather, porches and patios, will be occupied by bands and musicians this weekend during the town’s third annual Porchfest, a festival that debuted in Ithaca, New York in 2007, and has been spreading across the U.S. and Canada ever since.

    The goal is “connecting the community to our shared humanity, in this case, through music,” said Eric Hellweg, a co-organizer of the event who will perform with his band, The Rusty Muskets. “As long as we see continued support, positive feedback, and engagement … from the Lexington community, we’ll consider it a success and keep doing it.”

    The Lexington Council of the Arts and Mass Cultural Council, co-sponsors of the festival, coordinate publicity, advertising, and administration of the event.

    Organizers said the festival’s first year featured 60 acts playing at about 50 houses. This year, 120 bands will jam at 65 homes around Lexington.

    Macy Howarth, a Lexington resident, said she enjoyed watching the community come together at last year’s event. “Watching all the kids dancing around … people walking in on their bikes and whatnot, going house to house, it was so awesome.”

    Porchfest requires months of planning, Hellweg said, but it’s worth the work. “It’s so great to see some hosts really leaning into their role – publicizing it themselves, providing food, and having open house parties that day.”

    Jenna May, a Billerica resident, will perform from 2-3 p.m. at 47 Parker St. She describes her music as “journal pop,” an introspective and intimate expression that often features lyrics from her personal journal.  May said her parents’ business, Crickets Flowers, drew her to town.

    “Playing at the Lexington Porchfest felt like a great way to connect with the community as an artist.” 

    Porchfest features many genres – find everything from jazz, pop, punk, funk, and rock & roll to Korean traditional drumming, Turkish folk music, and 17th century tavern tunes. This map will help visitors navigate the festival. The event’s rain date is Sunday.

    The previous two festivals have had memorable moments, according to Lisa Herbert, the event’s co-organizer. One of them, she said, was a performance by RockStar Graduates, a band of young adults whose members learned music by ear. They are scheduled to play at 1 p.m. at 22 Hudson Rd.

    “We’re now placing music at downtown locations like Cary Library, Visitor Center Lawn, and Emery Park, which is exciting,” said Hellweg. ‘We’ve also secured the light pole banners downtown this month to help get the word out. In the future, we’d love to see community involvement continue to grow.”

    Organizers say the purpose of Porchfest is simple, yet elegant – to bring people together.

    Lexington resident Erin Wang says it’s working. “I’m always amazed by how talented the residents are,” she said. “We can walk around with the kids, seeing the neighborhood and enjoying the music and talent.”