Art students from Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School got a rare opportunity on Thursday evening, seeing their art displayed in a beautifully decorated downtown art gallery and studio.

Art teacher Lydia Dommel came up with the idea and arranged the whole thing, and the students and parents enjoyed themselves at Thursday’s show, featuring 101 unique pieces of art made by the elementary schoolers.

The talented students were asked to create any art with a winter theme. Everything from Christmas presents and snowmen to snow-covered scenes and cold-climate animals like penguins and polar bears were featured in the art show.

It was the first art show for Suffolk Public Schools students at OnePast7, the new studio that’s been in operation for about a year. The initiative of SPARC (Suffolk’s Prime Arts, Retail and Culinary) features low-cost studio space for artists who can’t or don’t want to work on their art at home and want the opportunity to bring culture to downtown and connect with other artists. Lydia Dommel is one of the artists who works in the space.

The Mack Benn Jr. students, however, were undoubtedly the youngest group of artists so far to be included in the unique creative space.

“I thought this would be a great place for a little art show,” Dommel said. As it turns out, she was right, and it gave the students another opportunity to show their work besides the show she typically holds for them in March.

A well-rounded education includes exposing youngsters to new opportunities, and this excellent show accomplished that.

We applaud Dommel and all those who worked on the show, especially the students and their parents. We’re filled with more warmth and holiday cheer thanks to you.