Mrs. Samantha Shilk-Cockerham is in her 25th year of teaching in the public-school setting and resides in Katy, TX. She has been a lifelong learner of dance, starting at the young age of 3 at Lynn Bates School of Dance in Wharton, TX. She spent 17 years as a student at LBSD, growing as a technician and performer, and attributes much of her dance education and love for dance to the late Lynn Bates. In college at Texas State University (Southwest Texas State University), Samantha was a part of the Dance Division as a Dance Major, performing in pieces set by LeAnne Smith and both the late Karen Earl and Dr. Joan Hayes. Samantha served as VP (Junior Year) and President (Senior Year) of Orchesis Dance Co. in her last two years of undergraduate studies and was the proud recipient of the Connie Webb Brown Scholarship.

 

After graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and Speech Communications, Samantha taught dance and directed the Crimson Cadets at Cedar Park Middle School (Leander ISD), moved to Cedar Park High School where she spent seven wonderful years as the Assistant Director for the Celebrities Dance Team, under the late Stacy Danielson, and teaching Dance and Speech. During her time in the Austin area, Samantha owned and operated the Dance Center and further developed her love of teaching and nurturing young dancers to strive to find the best of themselves in the studio setting.

Upon her move to the Houston area, Mrs. Cockerham had the pleasure of working as the Head Director of the Panteras Dance Team at Cypress Springs High School for three years and is now in her 13th year as the Head Director of the Cougar Stars Dance Team and dance teacher at Cinco Ranch High School. In her time at CRHS, she has been an integral part of the success of the Encore Dance Company (Band Dance Team) from its conception to its current state. It is her absolute joy to see students succeed and feel confident on and off the dance floor. She feels a successful dance department is one in which students feel safe, welcomed, and valued, and considers it her life’s work to inspire and create lifelong learners of dance in her department.

 

When she is not teaching dance, she is most likely spending time with her beautiful family: her husband of 23 years Casey, her sons Donovan and Daxton and her three dogs Wiley Cyrus, Pierre Francois, and Rhett Pugler. She loves to hang out in her back yard pool/hot tub, to read, watch crime documentaries and to travel with her family in the summers.

Most recently, Mrs. Cockerham received notice that she is a second-time semi-finalist for
Director of the Year, as she was nominated and selected as a part of this elite group of
directors from the Texas Dance Educators Association. Stay tuned to see if she moves into the
last round as a finalist this Spring!