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 * Greetings from Claude Chester Elementary School, Groton CT **

We are a Pre-K through 5 school of about 400 students located in the southeastern corner of Connecticut at 41 degrees north latitude and 72 degrees west longitude. We are in the Eastern time zone and we have a four season climate with humid summers. Two important historical events that took place in Connecticut happened in our area. In 1781, the Battle of Groton Heights took place in which locals fought the British who sailed up the Thames River. The British were aided in this battle by the infamous American traitor, Benedict Arnold. The other event occurred in 1839 when "The Amistad" slave ship arrived in New London which is our sister city across the Thames River. The story of this ship was made famous in the movie //Amistad //by Steven Spielberg. The word "Connecticut" is from the Algonquin Indian word which means "beside the long tidal river." State nicknames are "The Constitution State" and "The Nutmeg State." Hartford is the capital. Connecticut has long been known for producing goods for the defense industry; in particular, helicopters and submarines. As a matter of fact, Groton is known as "The Submarine Capital of the World" because it is home to Electric Boat which builds subs and the U.S. Naval Submarine Base which is homeport to many of our country's subs. Many famous people are from Connecticut, including; Ethan Allen, John Brown, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Charles Goodyear, Samuel Colt, Nathan Hale, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Nader, Paul Newman, Eugene O'Neill, and Noah Webster.