Mr. Fiala received his Bachelors of Science in Geology: Earth & Space Science, from Illinois State University (one of the top ten teacher preparation institutions in the nation) in 2008. He then joined Payson High School in January 2009 in order to teach intense lab-based Physics courses. The course offerings expanded from regular physics into AP Physics, College Physics 111, College Physics 112 and Astronomy 103. In 2016, while teaching full-time, Mr. Fiala furthered his education by completing a Masters of Science from Montana State University. During his time at MSU, Mr. Fiala studied Physics and Astronomy, taking courses like: Comparative Planetology, Special Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. It was also at this time that he began to create paintings in an attempt to balance the rigor of his physics classes with something fun and intrinsically challenging. Since that time, Mr. Fiala has hosted three professional art shows where his work was on display and for sale. In the fall of 2022, Mr. Fiala was asked to join the RCMS staff full time as the Visual Arts teacher. While it was a difficult decision to leave science, the option to teach art, where the emphasis is on personal growth and pride of accomplishment, was an opportunity too good to pass up. In fact, this opportunity was a perfect fit for Mr. Fiala's educational philosophy; that when students become proud of their efforts and accomplishments they feel empowered to take on greater challenges. Since then, the RCMS electives department has grown to include an advanced arts class, and public art shows are held twice per year to show off the artwork that students create. Mr. Fiala has two young children and he loves taking them mountain biking and hiking on the weekends.