Feel Good Story: TMHS Silver Stars and THS Cougar Charms Excel During Competition Season

March 7, 2025
TMHS Silver Stars and THS Cougar Charms Excel During Competition Season

Tomball ISD is fortunate to have incredible fine arts programs, represented by an immense amount of talent at all ages. For dance, Tomball Memorial High School Silver Stars and Tomball High School Cougar Charms are the epitome of dance excellence.

These two programs have built a legacy of excellence, consistently ranking among the nation’s elite. Their journey to the top is one of relentless dedication, teamwork, and a passion for the art of dance.

Led by Directors Samandra Nail (TMHS) and Brittany Huebner (THS), both teams have solidified themselves as elite in the high school dance realm. Year after year, they dominate state and national competitions, earning championship titles. 

While competition season in early Spring is the highlight of the year for these Tomball ISD dancers, training and preparation begin months and months before.

This season alone, both teams have captured team and individual accolades, in their respective competitions. 

TOMBALL MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL SILVER STARS

“I am incredibly proud of our Stars! Our success this contest season is because of every single girl's work ethic and dedication to each other. Contest Season for our Stars is very challenging on their bodies and because we choose to dance for the person next to us, we have seen the fruits of our labor.” - Samandra Nail, TMHS Silver Stars Director

Crowd Pleasers Dance - Clear Spring Regional

Team: 

• Game Day: WINNER
• Jazz: WINNER 
• Lyrical: WINNER 
• Pom: WINNER 
• Crowdpleasers Award: Game Day, Pom and Jazz 
• Artistry: Jazz and Lyrical 
• Overall High Point: Team Jazz, Lyrical and Pom 
• GPA Award 
• Overall Grand Champion: Large Officers 
• Overall Grand Champion Team 

Officer: 

• Contemporary: WINNER 
• Jazz: WINNER 
• Lyrical: WINNER 
• Novelty: WINNER 
• Crowdpleasers Award: Jazz and Novelty 
• Artistry Award: Lyrical 
• Overall Grand Champion 
• Large Officers Overall Grand Champion 

Officers: 

• Solo: 9th Grade: 7th RU Meilin Lam, 1st RU Ava Barton and Winner Ava Grace Merritt 
• 10th Grade: 1st RU Celsie Jones 
• 11th Grade: 4th RU Ashlyn From and WINNER Sydney Morrison 
• 12th Grade: 1st RU Grace Underwood 

Duet: 

• Ashlyn From and Celsie Jones WINNER

Dance Team Union (DTU) National Championships
Over 220 teams represented 35 different states

Team/Officer:

• National Champion Game Day
• National Champion Officers
• 3rd Place Small Team Jazz
• 6th Place Team Lyrical 

Solo: 

• Ashlyn From & Ava Grace Merritt FINALISTS
• Grace Underwood SOLO SEMI FINALISTS: 

UP NEXT: Spring Show, Silver Stars Shine presents “Reflect and Refine” at 7pm in the TMHS Theater. Be sure to check out their website in the coming weeks for ticket info: tmhssilverstars.net.

TOMBALL HIGH SCHOOL COUGAR CHARMS

“Proud doesn’t even begin to describe the way I feel about this incredible group of girls and all they’ve achieved this season. Their unwavering commitment and drive to improve both for themselves and for their teammates is inspiring. Every single day, they come to practice with one promise, and that is to be 1% better than they were yesterday. It’s this mindset that has fueled their growth, individually and as a team. They set their goals with determination and then put in the hard work needed to make those goals become a reality. Watching them pour their hearts into dance, whether it's performing on the football field or competing at a competition, is truly rewarding. Every time they perform, I’m reminded of how amazing they are and how lucky I am to be their director. This season has been one for the books, and I couldn’t be prouder of all they have accomplished.

“The Cougar Charms Dance Team’s ongoing success is driven by several key elements that foster an environment of excellence: strong leadership, a focused culture, team chemistry and unity, hard work and dedication, and support from the school, community, and families. With each season, the team continues to grow, improve, and uphold high standards, consistently striving to perform at their best. These qualities, combined with the team’s commitment to excellence and pride in representing Tomball High School, are the foundation of the Cougar Charms’ continued achievements.” - Brittany Huebner, THS Cougar Charms Director

NDA High School Nationals

Team: 

• Large Varsity Game Day - 2nd place in the Nation, Silver Medalist, & Innovative Choreography Award
• Large Varsity Pom - 3rd place in the Nation, Bronze Medalist
• Large Varsity Jazz - 8th place in the Nation

Marching Auxiliaries of America (MA) Dance State Championships

Team: 

• Contemporary- 1st place  
• Pom- 1st place  
• Game Day- 1st place  
• Super Sweepstakes, Choreography & Technique Award  
• Judges Award- Contemporary  
• 1st place- XL Select Team  
• 1st place OVERALL TEAM!

Solo: 

• 2nd place Junior Solo - Amyra Hernandez  
• 4th place 15-16 Solo - Alexa Chavez  
• 1st place 17-18 Solo - Sierra Kaplan  
• 1st place 15-16 Duet - Lucy & Katy Shomette 
• Elite- 1st place Large Ensemble  

Officers:

• Jazz- 1st place  
• Contemporary- 1st place  
• Open- 1st place  
• Super Sweepstakes, Choreography & Technique Award 
• Judges Award- Jazz & Contemporary  
• 1st place- XL Officer Line  
• 1st place OVERALL Officer Line   

UP NEXT: Spring Show, "Encore" will be held April 11 & 12 at 7 pm in the THS Auditorium. Tickets will be available at https://www.tomballcharms.org/.