Tomlin Middle School students helping with strawberry crops

Sweet, Sweet Support!

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A strawberry’s throw from the sweetest festival in town, nestled in the heart of Plant City, is a wonderful school named Tomlin Middle School. During the 11 days that the Strawberry Festival is running, Tomlin students and staff arrive at school to the sounds of performers warming up and funnel cakes baking.

However, Tomlin’s connection to the Strawberry Festival doesn’t end there – far from it. Somewhere along the way, Tomlin went from being a strawberry spectator to a big part of the festival.

A young boy in a bright green rash guard and patterned swim trunks smiles excitedly with his arms outstretched while standing in shallow water at a colorful water park. Behind him, vibrant blue, red, and yellow water slides and play structures tower under a partly cloudy sky.

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The students grow and sell strawberries for the festival, they make crafts, and they help with parking.

Dillon O’Donnell is an art teacher at Tomlin Middle School. His advanced art students use this opportunity to showcase their skills and help Tomlin make a little money.

“I have a small booth that is next to our parking area,” O’Donnell says. “We do face painting, we sell pins which are all created with air-dried clay, and we sell water-color bookmarks. All that money gets put into our departments here at the school.”

Lila is one of those advanced art students. She loves making the pins and selling them to the community.

“I made little clay pins that are strawberry themed, like strawberry milk!” Lila says. “We made over $100 last year selling our pins!”

Tomlin Middle School agriculture helps with strawberry fest

Of course, if you’re talking about Tomlin, you must recognize its amazing agriculture department. The agriculture students and teachers work hard in the months leading to the festival, and during the festival, to grow and sell the freshest produce.

Tomlin’s agriculture department has a booth inside the festival, but they also create a produce stand where they sell gorgeous produce throughout the festival’s run. There is purple cauliflower, strawberry corn, beans and, of course, strawberries!

“We grow strawberries for the strawberry festival,” explained Haylee, an 8th grade agriculture student at Tomlin. “We have a whole booth dedicated to Future Farmers of America. We design the whole thing, we make it, we grow the strawberries that are in it, and we put fun strawberry facts everywhere!”

Tomlin Middle School students on the farm

“I think people specifically come to our school and park here and look for things created by Tomlin students to help support our school,” O’Donnell says.

During the festival, Tomlin welcomes the community by opening its parking lots. The parking fees are $10 on weekdays and $20 on weekends. Many students and staff assist with parking, as the proceeds directly benefit the school.

“Last year, we generated just over $20,000 parking cars right here at Tomlin,” O’Donnell says. “That money has completely changed my classroom. Touchscreen televisions, painted walls, all kinds of new supplies. Everything I need for this class to run.”

Tomlin Middle School also shares the wealth with neighboring schools by offering some of its parking lots to other Plant City schools. If these schools choose to help with parking, they get to keep the funds they raise.

So, if you’re heading to the festival this year, keep an eye out for our Hillsborough County Public school students. They will be showing animals, growing produce and selling art.

And, if you’re looking for a great place to park, O’Donnell asks that you please keep Tomlin in mind.

“Please park here! It’s important to support our local schools!”

students help prepare for the Florida Strawberry Festival

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Originally published in the March 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.