EASTHAMPTON — In the art classroom of Mountain View School, students are getting their hands dirty and learning from a pro.

Donning paint-splattered aprons, students got to work on Tuesday morning rolling out slabs of clay and brainstorming their designs. Each eighth grader focused on getting their clay to the perfect level of thickness to make ceramic tiles with 3-D relief images.

While learning a new skill can be challenging, students in the class said getting the chance to mold clay with their hands is a welcome relief from their academic schedule.

“It’s very hands-on,” Gabriella Pastomerlo said as she prepped a slab of clay to cut a cowgirl boot shape out of. “I like hands-on stuff.”

Across from her, Lucy Graham and Olivia Gregg worked at smoothing their tiles into clean squares. Both said they’ve enjoyed having access to pottery supplies and getting to take some time to create.

At the next table over, Sam Coffelt rolled some rough fabric over his clay slab to give it texture. His planned theme for the tile was “Halloween.”

Thanks to a $5,000 Creative Projects for Schools grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, clay artist Marcia LaRocque Levy has been spending the last five weeks teaching more than 375 Mountain View middle school students how to craft ceramic creations. After 15 years of hosting an after-school art program for third through fifth graders, the artist was excited to work some clay into the school day.

Her visit was also made possible by an additional $2,000 scholarship from the Mountain View PTO.

LaRocque Levy had been producing ceramic pieces for customers for 35 years before she shifted toward educating students on clay art in 2010. As a member of the Cottage Street Studios community since 1986, she’s become deeply ingrained in the Easthampton community.

“I wanted to give back, and that’s what comes with working with kids,” she said.

Alex Fischer, the middle school art teacher at Mountain View, said she’s been glad to learn from LaRocque Levy about using the new school building’s resources, such as the electric kiln and two throwing wheels.

“Having the brand new building and having access to a kiln — I’ve never had that,” said Fischer.

LaRocque Levy explained that she gets to instruct students for one hour a day for five days straight, then a different group of kids rotates into the class. Given the time constraints, she’s been working at striking a balance between teaching some basic ceramics skills and letting the students explore their creativity.

“A lot of the kids are saying they want to explore, they like to be able to explore,” LaRocque Levy said. Because of that desire to explore, she’s given the students an “exploratory day,” where they get to make anything they want with some expert guidance.

As her fifth week instructing at the school comes to an end, she’s noticed that many kids aren’t used to getting their hands dirty in this way — but most of them have loved every second of it.

“I think, for the most part, kids really enjoy feeling [the clay]. That’s why it’s in therapists’ offices,” said LaRocque Levy. “You’re rolling all your feelings into it, you don’t even have to talk.”

Part of LaRocque Levy’s passion for bringing clay art into students’ lives is that it pulls them away from the screens and devices that can dominate their everyday lives. When she pitched her case for the grant, she described ceramics as “the antithesis to devices” since it is one of the oldest art forms in human culture.

“I get to teach them to create without technology,” she said.

Going into her five-week teaching stint, LaRocque Levy said she had a clear mission of providing a new creative outlet for her students.

“It’s like empowering them, because they’re using this creative resource that’s waiting to be expressed,” she said.

This is LaRocque Levy’s final week teaching in the Mountain View classroom, but she plans to keep holding workshops for kids in the community, and continue to look for ways to share her craft.

The students she’s taught during her time there won’t just leave with handmade tiles and pinch pots, but also with new skills to make their creative visions a reality.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.