William Clark

Jeffrey and Victoria Fan warm up prior to their chamber orchestra practice on Feb. 28. Victoria, the chamber’s first chair, will be continuing her education at the University of Penn. Jeffrey will move on to his sophomore year at MHS after earning an Overall Bronze medal at the Academic Decathlon Eastern Regional Championship in early February.

Senior Victoria Fan is Co-President of Mock Trials, Co-President of Tri-M Honor Society, President of Future Business Leaders of America, President of National Honor Society, and Secretary of the Class of 2025 Congress, just to name a few. Her resume doesn’t end there.

Playing in orchestra since elementary school, Victoria earned first chair violin when she came onto the high school scene. A member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, she made it to the All-State round of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s festival her sophomore year. 

Her younger brother Jeffery, a freshman and a member of Tri-M like his sister, has made an impact on the Methacton music scene as well, also landing a spot as a PMEA orchestra finalist this year playing violin. He is also a member of the Philadelphia Sinfonia, an ensemble aimed at supporting young musicians. 

But orchestra is just one of the ways these siblings’ paths cross. Despite being musically accomplished, they are no strangers to other extracurricular and academic achievements. 

They have both qualified for states in the Future Business Leaders of America program.

But the siblings do travel in some different circles. 

Jeffrey, for instance, joined Academic Decathlon this year, quickly making a name for himself. Academic Decathlon advisor, Mr. Outland, talked a little bit about the ninth grader’s impact.

“In all three competitions this year, Jeffrey has been the top scoring student from Methacton, even though he’s just a freshman. Additionally, he earned an Overall Bronze medal at the Eastern Regional Championship in early February, including a perfect score on the math event.” 

Jeffery also participates in Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS), Science Fair, and is the secretary of the Class of 2029. 

The duo does struggle in one area–their morning routine. But they are efficient.

“My brother and I both wake up extremely late and get ready super fast,” said Victoria.

“We get up 30 minutes before school starts, scramble to finish getting ready in 15 minutes, and then my sister drives me to school,” added Jeffery. 

While some sibling rivalry may be expected between the Fans, nothing could be further from the truth. 

“We both just do our own thing and cheer each other on. I feel extremely proud when I hear others complimenting my brother,” Victoria said. 

“There may be playful competition, but in the end we have two pretty different directions when it comes to academic interests. It is nice when you get to see your family members succeed,” Jeffery said. 

Victoria said their drive and support comes from their mother who introduced them to music.

“She’s also our biggest supporter in everything. The values that she taught us will always stick with us,” said Victoria.

“She supports everything else that I do from academics to extracurriculars,” added Jeffrey. 

And while their mother supports both of her children, Victoria and Jeffrey seem to admit that mom may like Jeffrey best, at least when they were a bit less mature. 

“When we were younger, [mom] definitely [liked] Jeffrey. I was a bit more of a troublemaker,” Victoria said. 

“It depends on if we did anything to annoy her. However, when we were younger, I was sided with more probably because I was younger and unable to defend myself well,” Jeffery said, who admits that life without his big sister around next year will take some getting used to. 

Victoria will be attending the University of Pennsylvania for political science and economics. UPenn is a very selective school, boasting a six percent acceptance rate. Victoria said she is very excited to continue her education, feeling “recognized for all the hard work that I’ve put into school and activities outside of school.”

And, while Jeffrey is proud of his sister, he said the fall will be a bit different. 

“Not seeing her around the house will certainly be hard to adjust to,” he said.