Tag: Lexington

  • 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 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.

  • Lexington’s special education students are still catching up after the pandemic

    Three out of four Lexington students meet grade-level standards in English. But for students with disabilities, it’s one in three. That 44-point gap, detailed in a new report conducted by consulting firm New Solutions K12, highlights persistent academic achievement gaps within the district. 

    The January review praised Lexington Public Schools for investing in specialized staff and resources but found that students with disabilities, about 14% of the student body, have not rebounded academically from the pandemic. 

    Mona Roy, a candidate for School Committee and mother of two neurodivergent students, said the report’s findings were “highly predictable.” Her younger son graduated from Lexington High School in 2022. 

    “The report confirms what many of us feared: while general education students have largely recovered academically, students with disabilities have not,” she said. “As parents, we can support our children and reinforce learning at home, but that is fundamentally different from the work of trained educators.”  

    Lexington serves 6,524 students across 11 schools and consistently ranks among the highest-performing districts in the state. However, 2025 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results show that at least 14 districts out performed Lexington among students with disabilities.

    “Since children start off in different places on their learning journeys, we want to be mindful of not only absolute achievement, but also growth,” Lexington Public Schools Superintendent Julie Hackett said. “If a student’s MCAS scores are very low, but their growth scores show gains each year compared to their cohort of peers, that is an important signal of progress.” 

    Lexington has a median annual household income more than double the state and national average. Pediatric neuropsychologist Eavan Miles-Mason, who works with Lexington families seeking special education services, said high overall achievement and private tutoring can mask deeper gaps. 

    “Students whose families can afford private, external support may ‘bump up’ the district’s reading scores, while students who do not receive adequate instruction or services may be left behind,” Miles-Mason said. When students with disabilities or socioeconomic disadvantages have lower achievement in an otherwise high-performing district, she said, it is often an indication that they’re not getting the appropriate instruction.  

    The report found that while 75% of students in grades 3-8 meet or exceed grade-level expectations in English, just one in three students with disabilities is proficient. Similarly, nearly 80% of all Lexington students meet grade-level expectations for math, compared with just over a third of students with disabilities. 

    Hackett cited limited access to the core curriculum and insufficient time with subject-matter experts as primary factors contributing to the gaps. “Not only do all students need access, but some students, depending on their abilities, may need more time with people who know the subject matter best,” she said. “Gaps will close with more time on learning and better access to the core curriculum.” 

    Roy said she was struck by the report’s staff allocation findings. Literacy specialists spend 22% of their time directly with students and math interventionists spend 18%. 

    “This raises important questions about how we structure educator work and whether we are directing resources to where they have the greatest impact,” Roy said. 

    The literary specialist and math interventionists split their time among direct student services, coaching, meetings and paperwork, planning and preparation and other activities. Other activities, including communication tasks, professional development, school duties, lunch and travel between buildings, took up the largest share of their time, according to the report. The literary specialist spent 32% of the workday on “other activities” while math interventionists spent 50%. 

    The report described staff as “hardworking” and “collaborative” and notes that educators care deeply about all students. However, it recommended that Lexington Public Schools adopt a consistent, districtwide reading program, provide extra support for struggling students and put more focus on promoting lifelong independence for students with severe disabilities. 

    “When we provide intensive one-on-one support throughout a student’s school experience, we may inadvertently create dependence rather than independence,” Hackett said. The district will focus on teaching self-advocacy, problem-solving and independence skills in the future, she said.

    The report comes as schools across Massachusetts continue to recover from pandemic-related learning loss. MCAS results remain below pre-pandemic performance statewide, with about 42% of students meeting expectations in 2025 compared with about half before COVID-19. No student group has fully regained its pre-pandemic test scores statewide, according to WBUR.  

    Lexington schools have recovered at a faster rate than the state overall and many peer districts. But students with disabilities still have not returned to pre-pandemic scores, according to the report. 

    “The learning loss was real, and our most vulnerable students were disproportionately impacted,” said Roy. “That damage lingers.”

    Roy described navigating the pandemic shutdown as a parent as “deeply frustrating.”

    “In our household, we pushed our son to keep working through the pandemic, alongside family death and separation. He did not get a semester off,” Roy said. “[Students with disabilities] face an uphill battle where they are either progressing forward or sliding backward. There is no standing still.” 

    In order to address these gaps, the report called for a redesign of the severe-needs special education program, including stronger reading instruction, extra support for students who struggle, as well as programs that help students with disabilities gain long-term independence.

    “Lexington’s special education system has been in place for decades now, and it’s a community-built system,” Hackett said. “Whether and how we make changes to special education delivery models will depend on the community’s willingness to try new things and explore different and perhaps better ways to address our students’ needs.” The district will host community workshops to identify top priorities, she said. 

    Roy said she worries that under financial pressure the school may cut necessary services that benefit students. Still, Roy sees the report’s findings as an opportunity to make changes that would have been harder to justify before. 

    “When we receive difficult news about outcomes, we can choose to reframe and reflect—and then recover,” Roy said. “Our students deserve that honest effort, and our educators deserve the support to deliver it.” 

    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.

  • 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’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.”