From left: Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale, Chancellor Shelagh Rogers, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane, Riley McMullen, and nominating students Vienna Wiens & Alex Leroux. Courtesy Photo

NORTH STORMONT – Tagwi Secondary School teacher Riley McMullen received the 2026 Baillie Award for Excellence in secondary School Teaching during the Queen’s University Convocation ceremonies on June 26.

This award has been presented since 2006 by Queen’s University in Kingston and was established by Chancellor Emeritus A. Charles Baillie. It is designed to honour “an educator who had a decisive and formative influence on them during high school and helped set them on the path to post-secondary education” said Jennifer Ross, Director, Strategic Projects & Communication at Queens.

She explained graduating students are able to make nominations, with the recipients “chosen by a selection committee co-ordinated by the Office of the Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs.  Those receiving the award are recognized at the graduating exercises and receive $10,000.

McMullen was nominated by two of his former students who are graduating from Queens University this year, Alex Leroux and Vienna Wiens and is one of seven educators receiving the Baillie Award in 2026.  A teacher of Indigenous Studies, English, Drama, Leadership and Guitar at Tagwi Secondary School, they both mentioned he is credited “with shaping both their high school experiences and their decisions to attend Queen’s.

Leroux and Wiens, both mentioned “the energy and rigour McMullen brought to online learning during the pandemic, particularly in his Indigenous Studies class. Beyond the classroom, he planned school-wide events, ran a peer mentorship and transition program for new students, and hosted an annual leadership conference, creating opportunities for students to find their voice and build confidence.” said Ross in an email to The Record.

Ross quoted Leroux as saying “Mr. McMullen leads by example in everything he does. His dedication, positivity and belief in his students have had a lasting impact on my journey.” Wiens commented in the correspondence that McMullen encouraged students to not just “get into university; he wanted us to thrive there. Now I am graduating from the very university he encouraged me to consider, and I give him much credit for where I am today.”