Press Release: Starting a Constitution Class in Rigby by Art da Rosa

By Press Release • January 13, 2025

The following press release was sent out by Art da Rosa. Press releases do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.

Dear Editor,

I am starting a new U.S. Constitution class at Rigby, and you are invited.

Nature of the Class

The class will be non-partisan, and it will rely heavily on classical literature. The first topic will be the Declaration of Independence. It will not be lectures, but open discussions. I have no intention of lecturing you, but to have a lively and open discussion on the genesis ideals that made America Great.

For the last six years, I have taught this class at Pocatello. And I truly enjoy sharing this topic with the patriots there. I have moved to Rigby, but the class is still ongoing. They still meet each Monday from 6:30 pm. Thank you, Daniel, for leading the class.

The class started when I moved to Idaho almost seven years ago. I was introduced to a group of patriots who get together and learn together. They were discussing about three to four books over and over. I asked if they would be interested in discussing other classic literature. They liked the idea, and I have been leading the discussion ever since.

I went home that evening, and I thought that I needed to establish a curriculum. The first four topics that I wanted to share with the group were:

The Declaration of Independence;
Bastiat’s The Law;
Bastiat’s That Which is Seen and That Which is Unseen; and
Skousen’s 500 Thousand Year Leap.

Now, I want to share these topics with the patriots at Rigby.

I chose the first three topics because they are short and easy to read. The fourth one is a classic and it will serve as a nice introduction to the general topic of the U.S. Constitution. Yes! I ask you to come to the class and start acquiring those books.

Why this Class?

As a person who is in an ethnic minority, I adopted America. I came here because I wanted to flee communism. I want to be free.

I came to America as a geeky teenager. I attended prestigious universities where I earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. I came here with nothing. I am a civil engineer today.

America has been good to me. And I love Her.

At church, I learned that

“And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

If I truly want to be free, I need to learn the truth. After getting my master’s degree, I shifted my attention to studying the truth—espoused by the Founding Fathers of our Nation.

The Class

I propose for us to meet weekly on Thursdays, beginning from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The first class discussion will be on January 23rd. We will dive deep into the Declaration of Independence. The following Thursday, we will study the impact of this marvelous document. For these two classes, you will not need to purchase anything. I will have the material provided for you. I won’t charge tuition. The class is free. So, come and check it out!

Lastly

Before I end this article, I want to say thank you to my beloved wife Shannon for her unwavering support and to Jefferson School District for permitting me to use the library at Rigby Middle School. I truly appreciate your support.

Art da Rosa, PE, MPA, CFM
Rigby, Idaho