Merit Badges

You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as you earn merit badges. There are more than 135 merit badges, and any Scout, or any qualified Venturer or Sea Scout may earn any of these at any time.

Scouts BSA Merit Badge Guide

Scroll down to see a adescription of the Merit Badge process.

Merit Badge Counselors of Troop 505

SCOUTS: This is the list of adults associated with Troop 505 who have been approved as merit badge counselors. If a merit badge you are looking for is not listed, you will have to contact the Troop Advancement Chair to obtain the names of merit badge counselors outside of our troop who can work with you. Remember never to meet one-on-one with a Merit Badge Counselor. Take a Scout buddy or buddies, parent or meet at the open Troop meeting.

Go to Scoutbook for CONTACT INFORMATION for each of these counselors (Login>Troop 505>Troop Roster).

Please scroll down to see the PROCESS for earning merit badges.

This list was last updated in January 2025..

*Eagle Required

by Merit Badge

- Jason Dluhy
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Jaime Ortiz
- Kyle Verret
- Alex Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Kevin Horner
- Kyle Verret
- Steve McGinnis
- Clayton Finney
- Ethan Perry
- Kyle Verret
- Steve McGinnis
- Selam Tememe
- Jason Dluhy
- Heather Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Steve McGinnis
- Kevin Horner
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Alex Montoya
- Steve McGinnis
- Clayton Finney
- Chuck O’Leary
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Dluhy
- Jason Smith
- Selam Tememe
- Deborah Verret
- Ethan Perry
- Jason Dluhy
- Clayton Finney
- Derek Jerrell
- Alex Montoya
- Chuck O’Leary
- Jaime Ortiz
- Ethan Perry
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Dluhy
- Chuck O’Leary
- Jaime Ortiz
- Kyle Verret
- Clayton Finney
- Kevin Horner
- Alex Montoya
- Kevin Horner
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Selam Tememe
- Jason Smith
- David Baker
- Jason Dluhy
- Kevin Horner
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Jaime Ortiz
- Steve See
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Smith
- Jason Dluhy
- Kevin Horner
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Smith
- Jason Dluhy
- Kevin Horner
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Mericli
- Alex Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Smith
- Jaime Ortiz
- Clayton Finney
- David Baker
- Clayton Finney
- Kevin Horner
- Kyle Verret
- Suanne Bouvier
- Jason Dluhy
- Kevin Horner
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Clayton Finney
- David Baker
- Suanne Bouvier
- Jason Dluhy
- Clayton Finney
- Kevin Horner
- Derek Jerrell
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Chuck O’Leary
- Jaime Ortiz
- Kyle Verret
- Selam Tememe
- Alex Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Steve McGinnis
- Jaime Ortiz
- Kyle Verret
- Suanne Bouvier
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Dluhy
- Alex Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Clayton Finney
- Heather Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Steve McGinnis
- Jason Dluhy
- Heather Montoya
- Jaime Ortiz
- Jason Smith
- Clayton Finney
- Ethan Perry
- Eleanor Verret
- Jason Smith
- Suanne Bouvier
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Jason Dluhy
- Steve McGinnis
- Jaime Ortiz
- Kyle Verret
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Smith
- Ethan Perry
- Kyle Verret
- Shalini Bhandari
- Suanne Bouvier
- Jason Dluhy
- Kevin Horner
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Patricia McGinnis
- Selam Tememe
- Shalini Bhandari
- Alex Montoya
- Jaime Ortiz
- Jason Dluhy
- Alex Mericli
- Alex Montoya
- Chuck O’Leary
- Jaime Ortiz
- Kyle Verret
- Steve McGinnis
- Jason Dluhy
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Ethan Perry
- Deborah Verret
- Kevin Horner
- Kyle Verret
- Kevin Horner
- Ethan Perry
- Patricia McGinnis
- Steve McGinnis
- Deborah Verret
- Selam Tememe
- David Baker
- Kyle Verret
- Clayton Finney
- Ethan Perry
- Heather Montoya
- Alex Mericli
- Jason Dluhy
- Clayton Finney
- Derek Jerrell
- Kevin Horner
- Alex Mericli
- Chuck O’Leary
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Smith
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Jason Smith
- Alex Montoya
- Patricia McGinnis
- Selam Tememe
- Heather Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Jaime Ortiz
- David Baker
- Kevin Horner
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Smith
- Clayton Finney
- Jaime Ortiz
- Ethan Perry
- Clayton Finney
- Derek Jerrell
- Steve McGinnis
- Jason Smith
- Kyle Verret
- David Baker
- Ethan Perry
- Clayton Finney
- Kevin Horner
- Steve McGinnis
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Chuck O’Leary
- Ethan Perry
- Jason Dluhy
- Kevin Horner
- Alex Mericli
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Jaime Ortiz
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Dluhy
- Derek Jerrell
- Kevin Horner
- Alex Montoya
- Jaime Ortiz
- Kyle Verret
- Kevin Horner
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Alex Montoya
- Chuck O’Leary
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Kyle Verret
- Alex Mericli
- Jaime Ortiz
- Jason Dluhy
- Kevin Horner
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Kyle Verret
- Jason Smith
- Ethan Perry
- Kyle Verret
- David Baker
- Kevin Horner
- Heather Montoya
- Ethan Perry
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Patricia McGinnis
- Steve McGinnis
- Suanne Bouvier
- Steve McGinnis
- Heather Montoya
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Suanne Bouvier
- Kevin Horner
- Ethan Perry
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Kevin Horner
- Kyle Verret
- Derek Jerrell
- Steve McGinnis
- Patricia McGinnis
- Jason Smith
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Mericli
- Jason Smith
- Alex Mericli
- Steve McGinnis
- Kyle Verret
- Shalini Bhandari
- Kevin Horner
- Eleanor Verret
- Kyle Verret
- Clayton Finney
- Steve McGinnis
- Jason Dluhy
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Heather Montoya
- Eleanor Verret
- Jason Smith
- David Baker
- Steve McGinnis
- Steve McGinnis
- Alex Montoya
- Derek Jerrell
- Ethan Perry
- Steve McGinnis
- Jason Dluhy
- Clayton Finney
- Derek Jerrell
- Ethan Perry

by Counselor

- Citizenship in the Community*
- Collections
- Cooking*
- Genealogy
- Law
- Music
- Reading
- Theater
- Family Life*
- Fire Safety
- Sports
- Communication*
- Cooking*
- Digital Technology
- Engineering
- Family Life*
- Robotics
- Scholarship
- American Business
- Art
- Backpacking
- Camping*
- Canoeing
- Citizenship in the Community*
- Citizenship in the Nation*
- Citizenship in the World*
- Communication*
- Cooking*
- Disabilities Awareness
- Emergency Preparedness*
- Entrepreneurship
- Family Life*
- First Aid*
- Fishing
- Hiking*
- Personal Fitness*
- Personal Management*
- Public Speaking
- Sustainability*
- Wilderness Survival
- Archaeology
- Backpacking
- Camping*
- Chemistry
- Coin Collecting
- Collections
- Composite Materials
- Cooking*
- Dog Care
- Energy
- Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Farm Mechanics
- Fishing
- Geology
- Hiking*
- Home Repairs
- Mammal Study
- Model Design and Building
- Nature
- Plumbing
- Salesmanship
- Stamp Collecting
- Wilderness Survival
- American Heritage
- Athletics
- Chess
- Citizenship in the Community*
- Citizenship in the Nation*
- Citizenship in Society*
- Citizenship in the World*
- Collections
- Communication*
- Cooking*
- Family Life*
- Game Design
- Gardening
- Hiking*
- Law
- Nature
- Personal Fitness*
- Personal Management*
- Pets
- Public Speaking
- Reading
- Scholarship
- Scouting Heritage
- Sports
- Camping*
- Cooking*
- Hiking*
- Motorboating
- Personal Management*
- Scuba Diving
- Water Sports
- Wilderness Survival
- Fingerprinting
- Gardening
- Inventing
- Reptile and Amphibian Study
- Sculpture
- American Business
- Animal Science
- Archery
- Astronomy
- Athletics
- Automotive Maintenance
- Citizenship in Society*
- Citizenship in the Community*
- Citizenship in the Nation*
- Citizenship in the World*
- Cycling
- Electronics
- Engineering
- Entrepreneurship
- Environmental Science*
- Farm Mechanics
- Fish & Wildlife Management
- Fishing
- Gardening
- Home Repairs
- Motorboating
- Nature
- Plumbing
- Public Speaking
- Rifle Shooting
- Robotics
- Salesmanship
- Scuba Diving
- Shotgun Shooting
- Soil and Water Conservation
- Stamp Collecting
- Sustainability*
- Theater
- Traffic Saety
- Welding
- Citizenship in the World*
- First Aid*
- Health Care Professions
- Hiking*
- Personal Fitness*
- Public Health
- Small-Boat Sailing
- Snow Sports
- American Business
- American Cultures
- Athletics
- Automotive Maintenance
- Camping*
- Chess
- Citizenship in Society*
- Citizenship in the Community*
- Citizenship in the Nation*
- Citizenship in the World*
- Communication*
- Cooking*
- Crime Prevention
- Disabilities Awareness
- Environmental Science*
- Family Life*
- Fire Safety
- First Aid*
- Fishing
- Home Repairs
- Indian Lore
- Personal Fitness*
- Personal Management*
- Photography
- Public Speaking
- Salesmanship
- Sustainability*
- Traffic Safety
- Art
- Citizenship in Society*
- Communication*
- Cooking*
- Dog Care
- Emergency Preparedness*
- Environmental Science*
- Family Life*
- Graphic Arts
- Journalism
- Personal Fitness
- Public Speaking
- Reading
- Safety
- Sustainability*
- Backpacking
- Camping*
- Canoeing
- Cooking*
- First Aid*
- Hiking*
- Orienteering
- Pioneering
- American Business
- Camping*
- Canoeing
- Citizenship in the Community*
- Climbing
- Cooking*
- Cycling*
- Emergency Preparedness*
- Entrepreneurship
- Fire Safety
- First Aid*
- Kayaking
- Medicine
- Personal Fitness*
- Personal Management*
- Public Health
- Archaeology
- Bugling
- Camping*
- Energy
- Exploration
- Forestry
- Gardening
- Geology
- Mining in Society
- Music
- Orienteering
- Pulp and Paper
- Reading
- Scholarship
- Weather
- Wilderness Survival
- Bird Study
- Forestry
- Gardening
- Athletics
- Camping*
- Citizenship in the Community*
- Citizenship in the Nation*
- Citizenship in Society*
- Citizenship in the World*
- Disabilities Awareness
- Dog Care
- Energy
- Family Life*
- Hiking*
- Law
- Nature
- Personal Fitness*
- Pets
- Reading
- Scholarship
- Sports
- Sustainability*
- American Business
- American Heritage
- Backpacking
- Camping*
- Canoeing
- Citizenship in the Community*
- Citizenship in the Nation*
- Citizenship in the World*
- Communication*
- Cooking*
- Cycling*
- Digital Technology
- Disabilities Awareness
- Dog Care
- Entrepreneurship
- Exploration
- Family Life*
- Fishing
- Geocaching
- Hiking*
- Law
- Moviemaking
- Personal Fitness*
- Personal Management*
- Pets
- Programming
- Public Speaking
- Reading
- Scholarship
- Scouting Heritage
- Space Exploration
- Archery
- Basketry
- Citizenship in Society
- Cooking
- Fingerprinting
- Gardening
- Inventing
- Backpacking
- Citizenship in Society
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Emergency Preparedness
- Energy
- Environmental Science
- Hiking
- Home Repairs
- Lifesaving
- Motorboating
- Public Speaking
- Search and Rescue
- Small Boat Sailing
- Sustainability

Parents!

Our Troop lacks counselors for the following merit badges.

If you have an interest and/or expertise in any of the following, please reach out to our Committee Chairperson, Craig Weiland, for guidance on becoming a merit badge counselor.

American Labor
Architecture
Aviation
Basketry
Dentistry
Drafting
Fly Fishing
Golf
Horsemanship
Insect Study
Landscape Architecture
Leatherwork
Lifesaving*
Metalwork
Nuclear Science
Oceanography
Painting
Plant Science
Pottery
Railroading
Rowing
Search and Rescue
Signs, Signals, and Codes
Skating
Surveying
Swimming*
Textile
Truck Transportation
Veterinary Medicine
Whitewater
Wood Carving
Woodwork

The steps to register as a Merit Badge Counselor are as follows:

Pick your merit badges (the current max is 16; we suggest you pick 16) and complete this form. The list of merit badges is here.
You don’t have to be an expert in a topic to counsel a merit badge; you only need to have skills or education in an area sufficient to lead Scouts through their own exploration of the topic.
Complete this online application with your BSA ID and attach your MB selection form to that application.
If you can’t attach the form, email it to Kyle Verret and David Ralph at david.ralph@scouting.org.

A Merit Badge Counselor must be:

At least 18 years old & of good character
Registered with the Boy Scouts of America (position code 42).
YPT trained
Recognized as having the skills and education in the merit badge subjects covered and hold any required qualifications and training as outlined in the Guide to Safe Scouting or the Guide to Advancement—or use others so qualified.
Able to work with Scout-age youth.

Merit Badge Process

Pick a Subject. Talk to your unit leader (Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster) about your interests. Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you, and pick one to earn. Your leader will give you the name of a person from the list of counselors on the previous pages. These individuals have special knowledge in their merit badge subjects and are interested in helping you.

Scout Buddy System. You must have another person with you at each meeting with the merit badge counselor (even if your meeting is held virtually). This person can be your parent or legal guardian, or another registered adult.

Choose the right counselor. The Scoutmaster / Assistant Scoutmaster and Scout should agree on the counselor to be used. Lacking agreement, the Scout must be allowed to work with the registered and approved counselor of their choice.

Merit badge counselors in the Houston area are approved by Sam Houston Area Council to serve as merit badge counselors and counsel-specific badges. Scouts may not work with a counselor on a badge that the counselor is not approved by Sam Houston Area Council, or the council where that counselor is registered, to lead.

Scouts are encouraged to work with various counselors on their merit badges. Earning a large number of merit badges from a small number of counselors, or only from counselors known to the Scout, robs the Scout of the opportunity to learn and grow. Association with adults is one of the methods of Scouting, and working with family members and known adults can deprive Scouts of the opportunity to learn and grow. Scouts meeting with counselors beyond their families and beyond their own units will benefit from the perspectives of many “teachers” and will learn more as a result. Scouts should be encouraged to reach out if at all possible.

If a parent serves as a merit badge counselor for a Scout, they are strongly encouraged to invite other Scouts in our troop to be their Scout’s buddy in completing the badge, or planning a group session for the badge. Inviting other Scouts to work on a merit badge that a parent is leading for their Scout opens opportunities that might not be available to other Scouts in our troop.

Contact the Merit Badge Counselor. Get a signed Application for Merit Badge, No. 34124 or No. 34130 (blue card), from your unit leader. Call or email the merit badge counselor and explain that you want to earn the badge. The counselor may ask to meet you to explain what is expected and to start helping you meet the requirements. You should also discuss work you have already started or possibly completed. Copy your parent(s)/guardian(s) on any emails or have them present when you call.

At the first meeting, you and your merit badge counselor will review and may start working on the requirements. In some cases, you may share the work you have already started or completed.

Unless otherwise specified, work on a requirement can be started at any time. Ask your counselor to help you learn the things you need to know or do. You should read the merit badge pamphlet on the subject. Many troops, schools, and public libraries have them. You may also find them on the Scouts BSA website.

Show Your Stuff. When you are ready, call the counselor again to make an appointment. When you go, take along the things you have made to meet the requirements. If they are too big to move, take pictures or have an adult tell in writing what you have done. The counselor will test you on each requirement to make sure you know your stuff and have done or can do the things required.

Requirements. You are expected to meet the requirements as they are stated—no more and no less. You must do exactly what is stated in the requirements. If it says “show or demonstrate,” that is what you must do. Just telling about it isn’t enough. The same thing holds true for such words as “make,” “list,” “in the field,” and “collect,” “identify,” and “label.”

Only the approved and assigned merit badge counselor may approve merit badge requirements.

An Assistant Scoutmaster, Scoutmaster, Troop Advancement Chair, or assistant may enter requirements from a Scouts BSA Summer Camp, council or district merit badge event, or approved merit badge counselor into Scoutbook.

Get the Badge. When the counselor is satisfied you have met each requirement, he or she will sign your application (blue card). Give the signed application to your unit leader (Scoutmaster/ASM) so your merit badge emblem can be secured for you.

There is no time limit for starting and completing a merit badge, but all work must be completed by the time a Scout turns 18.