The Carroll Community School District’s (CCSD) new elementary principal, Patrick Rabbitt, officially began on July 1 and is looking forward to building on the high-quality educational opportunities offered to children in the community and surrounding area. He grew up less than an hour away from Carroll in Gowrie, but a twenty-year career in the Marine Corps prior to getting into education took him all over the country. Rabbitt retired in 2002 as a Chief Warrant Officer Three and spent much of his time in the military working in air traffic control (ATC) maintenance. He considers the highlight of his military service his involvement in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Following his retirement, he briefly worked in Des Moines before spending a year in Afghanistan as an ATC contractor. Rabbitt says he was not sure at that time what career path he would take and credits his wife of 15 years, Terry, with steering him towards education.
Rabbitt adds his experience in education so far has been fulfilling at every step and just as challenging, in its own way, as his career in the military. He says he has some big shoes to fill following the retirement of Sue Ruch, the former elementary principal, but looks forward to building on the incredible groundwork she laid during her time with the district.
Rabbitt adds his door is always open and encourages parents and families to reach out with any comments and concerns. He says Carroll has been an extremely welcoming community, and he looks forward to having teachers and students back in school later this month. Between he and his wife, the Rabbits have six grown children who live as close as Des Moines and as far way as Berlin, Germany.
