Joseph Hennessey is an English teacher at Piscataquis Community High School (PCHS) in Guilford, Maine. During his tenure at PCHS, Hennessey has developed and implemented six new interdisciplinary literature- based curricula with emphases on active reading strategies, analytical writing, vocabulary and grammar application exercises, and formal public speaking. Additionally, with colleagues in the Social Studies department, he has co-developed and co-taught an annual Project-Based global affairs course. Hennessey also serves on the Classroom Committee for the Camden Conference, a global citizens forum held in Camden, Maine. He was selected by his students as the PCHS Faculty Speaker in 2015 and 2018 and received the Yearbook Dedication in 2016 and 2018. Hennessey was a nominee for the 2017 Piscataquis County Teacher of the Year and selected as the 2018 Piscataquis County Teacher of the Year.

Outside of the classroom, Hennessey presented a session on “Proficiency-Based Education in the Humanities” at the 2016 Moosetech conference, has regularly contributed to the Camden Conference in the Classroom Committee from 2015 onward, and has written the prompt for the Bill Taylor Essay contest for the last two years. In his previous position at the Collegiate Academy of Colorado, Hennessey was selected for multiple teacher leadership teams, served as a High School Lead Teacher in 2013, was presented with the Yearbook Dedication in 2013-2014, and was selected as the 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year. Hennessey is a Graduate with Distinction in Humanities from the University of Colorado at Boulder and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.