State champions 2014
As many of the students may know, last year was a great year for the high school’s percussion team. In April last year, the Tomball winter percussion team won the state championship with a very young, but talented team, competing against some of the best percussionists in Reed Arena in College Station.
The percussion team surprised everybody last year with their amazing performances. “When we won first… There were tears everywhere.” – Said last year’s percussion Lieutenant Jackie Whitis about their impressive state championship title.

2015 – Another good year
But is the percussion team able to rediscover their drive from last year? If you ask the percussionists of our school, the answer would be the same – It’s only getting better since last year.

“The show was a lot easier last year than it is now… I think we’ll do a lot better this year, we’re doing very good and I am proud to be a part of the team,” said band member Emmie Schubert.
Last year the average age of the percussion team was very low, 13.8, but even though they were a very young team consisting of 7 8th graders, the overall talent carried them all the way to the state championship.

“Last year we did pretty well, but we keep improving through our practice, we started playing a lot better together and the team has also gotten a lot bigger since last year – we mature with our playing and keep improving. All in all; we’ll do well!” said Mitchell Vereide, a section leader of the team.The game is over, and as the spectators begin to leave, the band plays the school song.

They will not play those notes again until September of next year.

The Cougar Pride Band is done marching on the field, and their hard work has paid off. The band has surpassed the expectations of the directors, who must now raise the bar again for next year.
At the U.S. Bands competition in Converse, Texas, the concentration of the band was amazing.
“The focus and determination by the students at the night performance was riveting,” band director Steve Fry said. “There was a part of the evening performance where the students played right through a fire truck siren going by, and the students didn’t miss a beat.”

The band received straight 1s, a superior rating from all three U.S. Band judges that evening, landing them first place in their division and second place overall.