Zemei Yu from the China National Tea Museum, pours tea on stage at the Smithfield High School auditorium. Smithfield Public Schools and the Confucius Institute at Bryant University dedicated the nation’s first Confucius classrooms with a celebration and a tea ceremony.

SMITHFIELD — Alexandra Bonvouloir began studying Mandarin Chinese three years ago, even though she’s just now a senior at Smithfield High School.

She took classes that Bryant University offered to Smithfield High School students, traveled to China and fell so in love with the language that she plans to double major in Chinese and business when she goes to college.

Wednesday, Bonvouloir was on hand as her school dedicated a Confucius classroom, which will provide access to Chinese language and culture instruction for even more students.

“I’m so amazed,” the 17-year-old said Wednesday as she stood in the Confucius classroom at Smithfield High School. “When I started, they didn’t have any plans for this. I’m so happy that so many other kids will get a chance to study Mandarin or Cantonese.”

The Confucius Classrooms are subsidiaries of the Confucius Institute, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote understanding by teaching about Chinese language and culture. There are more than 300 Confucius Institutes around the world; most affiliated with a college or university and 57 institutes in the United States, said Kun Xie, assistant director of Bryant’s institute, which opened in 2006.

The partnership with the Smithfield School Department is the first time the resources of the Confucius Institute will be extended to a permanent satellite classroom in the public school system.

“It’s important for them to receive designation,” said Hong Yang, director of the institute and associate professor at Bryant University. “By doing so, they will receive more resources. … students will be able to interact with visiting Chinese students and travel to China. Having a Confucius classroom will only enhance this type of opportunity.”

Already, the university offers STARTALK, a summer Chinese camp, and allows Smithfield high school students, such as Bonvouloir, to take classes at the university.

Officials said that they hope the Smithfield classrooms can be a model for the rest of the world. The program may grow within Rhode Island sooner than expected, though. A contingent from the Lincoln School Department attended the ceremonies and plans to travel to China this winter to propose Confucius classrooms at Saylesville Elementary School and Lincoln High School. Supt. Georgia Fortunato said they will propose the plan at their school committee meeting on Monday.

The classrooms are possible through a five-year $500,000 grant from China’s Office of Chinese Language Council International, known as Hanban. Though the grant, which was awarded earlier this year, means Smithfield’s classrooms are officially recognized by the Chinese government, students have been learning about Chinese culture and language in afterschool programs since late 2007. The money will go toward materials for the two classrooms, said Tracie Sweeney, director of public relations at Bryant.

Though decked out with computers, photos of China and in some cases, bright red decorations, the classrooms will not be fully operational until a few weeks from now, when five teachers sent from China will begin to use them. In the meantime, Smithfield Supt. Robert O’Brien said, the rooms can be used for Asian Studies classes at the high school or for extra space.

tbuford@projo.com