A young man from Marysville, Anthony Deal attributes Camp Fire for his leadership skills.

The son of an employee of Camp Fire USA Snohomish County Council, he has been a student of Academy Northwest. Now 16, he will start this fall as a student of the Ocean Research College Academy, a program of Everett Community College, through the Running Start program. He is also a member of the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Marysville-Pilchuck High School as well as being a member of the M-PHS football team.

He spent a week recently at a leadership conference of the JROTC.

“I’ve been in Camp Fire since I was in kindergarten,” Deal said. His mother was the leader of his 12-member club.

He became active in leadership in the middle school program, Discovery Teens in Action and in the high school program, Horizon Teens in Action. He is currently president of that club.

“Last year they asked me to be on the candy sales committee,” Deal said. He is also in his second term as a student representative on the regional Camp Fire Council’s Board of Directors.

“Camp Fire has given me a perspective on leadership that I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Deal said.

Deal looks forward to being a Counselor in Training this summer, the first of two years of CIT that will prepare him to be a paid counselor at camp when he begins college.

Deal said that along with his involvement in Campfire, he has also studied karate.

“The karate helps build character and Camp Fire solidified my morals and leadership skills. Camp Fire has greatly improved my chances to be a leader,” Deal said.