Merit Badge College 2026 brings nearly 140Scouts to Windward Campus on Feb. 14
More than 50 Del Mar College faculty and staff volunteered to provide instruction to ranging from cybersecurity to farm mechanics to public speaking to welding and more
Article by Richard Guerrero, Jr.
Valentine’s Day is not just a day for romantic love. For area Scouts this year, it was a perfect day to showcase their love of the values and learning adventures, along with a deep esprit de corps, that’s gained as part of the Scouting life.
On Feb. 14, Del Mar College once again hosted the annual Merit Badge College at the Windward Campus. Troops with the South Texas Council Scouting America (STCAS), formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, spent the day during this skills-building event completing classes taught by about 60 DMC faculty and staff to earn highly prized Merit Badges for their sashes.
Nearly 140 Scouts from throughout the 17-county area of the South Texas Council, along with others from surrounding councils, attended morning and afternoon sessions.
Merit Badge College Chair Mike Jones, DMC Professor of Speech and Scoutmaster, says that there are currently 141 Merit badges in the Scouts BSA catalogue. As of January 2026, over 80 merit badge requirements have been updated to reflect modern careers, outdoor ethics and safety.
“A new program in Scouts BSA is the Merit Badge Test Lab where prospective badges are offered, and Scouts can help pilot new offerings,” he notes. “Scouts receive a certificate upon completing the test badge; and if the National Council decides to make the badge official, the Scouts receive the badge, too.”
Current test badges are Auctioneering, Wildland Fire Management, Life Skills, Physics, Sewing & Needlework, Dance and Psychology.
Scouts were also able to earn more than one badge in a single class, which includes Aviation, Communication, Public Speaking and Crime Prevention and Fingerprinting where they can earn two badges.
Scouts pursuing the Welding badge spent the whole day receiving instruction at DMC’s Metals Technology Building. Additionally, Scouts also had the option to earn two new badges that were introduced during this year’s Merit Badge College––Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity–– with the badges focusing on responsible technology use and practical skills.
The full list of 26 classes offered during Merit Badge College 2026 included:
· Architecture
· Artificial Intelligence (AI)
· Automotive Maintenance
· Aviation
· Citizenship in Society
· Communication
· Crime Prevention
· Cybersecurity
· Digital Technology
· Drafting
· Electronics
· Emergency Preparedness
· Entrepreneurship
· Farm Mechanics
· Fingerprinting
· First Aid
· Health Care Professions
· Moviemaking
· Personal Fitness
· Personal Management
· Programming
· Public Speaking
· Salesmanship
· Traffic Safety
· Truck Transportation
· Welding
Jones says Merit Badge College is a great way to accomplish two goals.
“The Merit Badge College is an amazing opportunity to serve area youth in Scouting while at the same time showcasing higher education,” he says. “These youth take classes with Del Mar College faculty who are specialists in their fields; and for many of them, this is their first visit to a college campus and their first interaction with faculty, inspiring many to inquire further about career opportunities.”
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
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