Haley Godfrey lost count of the hours she put into her self-portrait.

“I worked on it for weeks, even over Christmas break,” said Godfrey, a Nansemond River High School sophomore. “It was a challenge.”

But her dedication paid off Tuesday, when Godfrey saw her portrait — a combination of watercolor, ink and acrylics — on display at Old Dominion University’s Tri-Cities Higher Education Center in North Suffolk.

Godfrey’s work is one of 35 pieces of artwork by Suffolk Public Schools students that will remain on display at ODU’s Tri-Cities Center, 1070 University Blvd., through October. The exhibit formally opened Tuesday with a reception for art teachers, students and their families.

ODU has hosted the student art shows twice a year, for the past five years, both to give local students a venue to exhibit their work and to boost awareness of its Tri-Cities Center, said organizer Ellen McClintock, an ODU advisor and enrollment services specialist.

The Tri-Cities Center hosts similar exhibits for art students in the Chesapeake and Portsmouth school systems.

“I feel honored that my art is here,” said Savannah Dever, a Lakeland High School junior.

Art teachers say ODU’s art show initiative is a winner for everyone involved.

It’s a rare opportunity for younger students to see their work displayed outside school, much less in a university setting, said Northern Shores Elementary School art teacher Janette Belote.

“Students love to see their work hanging somewhere outside of their schools,” Belote said, noting that each school could only submit three pieces for the exhibit. “I think it fuels students’ self-esteem and creativity to have their art chosen for this display.”

“It boosts their confidence,” said Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School art teacher Lydia Dommel.

Besides placing a focus on the arts, the Tri-Cities Center is also bringing the public, teachers and students’ families together, said King’s Fork Middle School art teacher Sandee Darden.

“It’s the perfect trifecta,” Darden said. “Students have a place to show their art, ODU has (potential) future students exploring the building and parents are becoming familiar with this site.”