Draemond Winding is a recurring guest on the second season of Abbott Elementary where he served as a minor antagonist. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Legendary Charter Schools.
He is portrayed by Leslie Odom Jr.
Personality[]
Draemond is a charming and confident man who is able to win over most people, even those who are initially hostile towards him.
History[]
Early Life[]
Draemond was once a student at Abbott Elementary. During his kindergarten years, he faced challenging times at home, but Barbara made sure that he wouldn't feel like the whole world had turned its back on him. After leaving Abbott, he moved from one public school to another and felt completely lost. It wasn't until he enrolled in a charter school that he believed he had turned his life around. Barbara, his favorite teacher, had left a lasting impression on him. Her impact was so profound that he became determined to transform every public school into a charter school so that students could have a fighting chance in life.
After his success in turning public schools into charter in New York, he set his eyes on Philadelphia, starting with Addington.
Season 2[]
In Attack Ad, Abbott Elementary was attacked by a negative ad made by Legendary Charter Schools, which drove some of Abbott's students to enroll in a nearby charter school named Addington. After the teachers consulted a lawyer and found out that they were partly responsible for allowing the cameramen inside their school, they resorted to finding out the person in charge of Legendary Charters, which was Draemond. The teachers were able to obtain his contact information, so Jacob made a phone call with the intention of leaving a scathing voicemail. However, Draemond answered the call and agreed to come to Abbott that afternoon.
When he arrived at Abbott, he revealed to the teachers that he was once a student there thirty years ago and that Barbara was the greatest teacher he ever had, much to the surprise of everyone. Barbara admitted that Draemond was in her very first class and that she helped him when he was having a hard time at home.
Later, he tried to convince the other teachers of his vision for Abbott as a charter school. However, Melissa was not convinced, especially when he used children in his attack ads. He also pointed out that he was merely airing what his camera crew shot and that he was simply revealing how abysmal the conditions in the school were. He added that Barbara was the only teacher qualified in the whole school. Having had enough of Draemond's tirades, Barbara angrily called him to her classroom so they could talk.
Inside the classroom, Draemond explained why he was trying to turn Abbott into a charter school. He said he just wanted to make schools better for teachers like Barbara. However, she told him that what he was doing was actually hurting teachers like her. In the end, Draemond agreed to take down the attack ad, but still insisted (to the camera) that Barbara just didn't see that he was just trying to help and that he was still determined to turn every school in Philadelphia into a Legendary Charter School.
In Teacher Conference, Kristin Marie warned Melissa that Draemond was still going after Abbott Elementary and would be trying to turn it into a charter school. Melissa relayed this information to the other teachers in Mural Arts when they found out that there was an online petition to turn Abbott into a charter school.
In Festival, a proposal to turn Abbott into a charter school was submitted to the School Board for approval. The teachers of Abbott Elementary held a festival to campaign against turning Abbott into a charter school to the parents. Draemond attended the festival, much to everybody's surprise. There, he addressed the students' parents and claimed that they were being lied to by the teachers of Abbott. He added that the petition that was circulating was nothing but a promise to hold their children back.
He claimed that he wanted to turn Abbott into a beautiful, new Legendary property, but a parent spoke up and said that Abbott didn't look as bad as he claimed. He counters this by saying that he wants to make Abbott better because Abbott was actually failing. Another parent pointed out that the students were doing a lot of fun stuff for the children. Draemond tells them that Abbott was just making the most of what they had. He shared his personal experience in going to a charter school and claimed that the parents at Addington were happy to have enrolled their children there.
However, Nicole, a parent of a former Addington student, refuted his claims and revealed that she had enrolled her son to Addington, but he was subsequently kicked out. Draemond continued to make promises for a "new" Abbott, but the parents started to defend Abbott and ended up booing Draemond off stage.
Afterwards, Draemond spoke with Barbara one more time, admitting defeat with Barbara hoping that they could put the whole endeavor behind them. Later, though, she told the camera crew that she thought Draemond was being a jackass.
Relationships[]
Barbara Howard[]
When Draemond was younger, he studied at Abbott Elementary and was in Barbara's kindergarten class. He was having a tough time at home, and Barbara noticed this. She made sure that he never felt that the world was turning its back on him. She made such a good impression on Draemond that he wanted to make charter schools so that the Barbara's of the world could be in better working conditions.
Memorable Quotes[]
- "Thirty years, and this place still smells exactly the same."[1]
- "Can't you see? I'm trying to make schools better for the Barbara Howards of the world."[1]
Appearances[]
| Abbott Elementary, Season 2 | |||||
| # | Title | # | Title | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | " |
Absent | 12. | " |
Absent |
| 2. | " |
Absent | 13. | " |
Absent |
| 3. | " |
Absent | 14. | " |
Absent |
| 4. | " |
Absent | 15. | " |
Absent |
| 5. | " |
Absent | 16. | "Teacher Conference" | Mentioned |
| 6. | " |
Absent | 17. | "Mural Arts" | Mentioned |
| 7. | "Attack Ad" | Appears | 18. | " |
Absent |
| 8. | " |
Absent | 19. | "Festival" | Appears |
| 9. | " |
Absent | 20. | " |
Absent |
| 10. | " |
Absent | 21. | " |
Absent |
| 11. | " |
Absent | 22. | " |
Absent |
Gallery[]
Season 2[]
References[]
[]
| Abbott Teachers | |
|---|---|
| Abbott Admin & Staff | |
| Abbott Students | |
| School District | |
| Addington Teachers | |
| Family of the Abbott Staff | |
| Significant Others | |
| Friends | |
| Others |
|
| Minor Characters • Unnamed Characters (S1) • Unnamed Characters (S2) | |