About the Richerd Cancilla Award: The award is named in honor of Richerd Cancilla, the first student of our school and an alumnus of The Children’s Country School Class of 1946. Richerd has remained connected to the school since his graduation, participating in alumni activities, sharing stories of the school’s history with our students, supporting the school, and regularly returning to this campus that he describes as “coming home.”
The Cancilla Award is Hillbrook’s highest honor to a volunteer member of our community. This award is given to an alumni, alumni parent, or other volunteer who has provided lifetime service to the school. It recognizes exemplary service to our school and an unwavering commitment to the school’s vision-to inspire students to achieve their dreams and reach beyond themselves to make a difference in the world. Nominees are approved by the Board of Trustees.
This year’s Richerd Cancilla award recipient is Beth Hobbs, the longest tenured Board member in Hillbrook’s history. She served 15 years, from 1999-2014, and then rejoined the Board as one of our first Alumni Advisory trustees in 2017. She is currently serving a second term in that valuable role.
After moving to California from Pennsylvania, Beth and her late husband, Bill, found Hillbrook from a friend’s recommendation, eventually sending all four of their children: Chrissy ‘00, Bart ‘02, Ben ’03, and Julia ‘05. As a Board member, Beth played a wide variety of roles, including serving as Board Chair and facilitating the development of the first strategic plan. “There had been many changes at the school, and the board needed to develop a long range plan—upgrades, new construction, and long-term financing,” Beth said. “Jim McManus, then President of California Association of Independent Schools, helped us define objectives and set up a regular planning cycle that guides Hillbrook today.” She was the co-chair of Vision 2015, an ambitious strategic plan that led to the creation of the Resident Teacher Program, the school’s program audit process, and the significant expansion of the school’s Flexible Tuition program.
Beth has dedicated more than 20 years to the school, continuing her contributions long after her own children had graduated. She has many favorite memories from her years at Hillbrook, but “I think that my favorite is Morning Flag,” she said. “It was a delight to see children step up to the microphone to tell a joke, announce an event, or report on the outcome of a basketball game. What a great way to build confidence and camaraderie.” Fittingly, the lessons of Beth’s own youth have guided her personal and professional life: “I don’t have a favorite quote, but I try to live by the words from my childhood, and teach my own children: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
As a longtime Board member, parent, and friend of Hillbrook School, Beth has seen the world change significantly, both on the Hillbrook campus and life beyond it. “The class of 2021 enters a world that changes faster relative to the one my youngest faced upon graduating from Hillbrook in 2005,” she said. Despite the rapid changes from the year, she is confident our students have the tools they need to survive and thrive in the world. “They should take with them not only the academics [they learned at Hillbrook], but the advice: be kind, be curious, be your best, reach beyond, make a difference in the world. Figure out what you like and just as importantly, what you do not like. Don’t be afraid to explore, take risks (reasonably), and expand your own horizon.”
In addition to a dedicated Board member, Beth has a taste for adventure and discovery. “I don’t have a bucket list,” she said, “But if I did, the next item is a trip to North Dakota so I will have visited all 50 states, and then to improve my sailing skills.”