A sweet aroma fills the fourth floor hallway as students rise from soft, cushioned multicolored chairs. It drifts across the rest of the floor as students momentarily cease their studying to ponder the source of the smell. What type of candy could smell so sweet?

The students, bearing smiles, realize that the tempting aroma does not match that of any conventional candy. They venture out and reach their destination: the office of Christian Bielizna, new Dean of Student Life in the Upper School.

“As a kid I didn’t really like sweets,” Bielizna said. “I developed an appreciation of chocolate as I got older as a way to have the door open, so to speak, in my various administrative roles I’ve had at other schools. I think it’s a great way to have those moments of contact with people.” Bielizna says his ability with names isn’t one of his strongest and so encourages students to introduce themselves prior to consuming his sweets.

A sweet aroma fills the fourth floor hallway as students rise from soft, cushioned multicolored chairs. It drifts across the rest of the floor as students momentarily cease their studying to ponder the source of the smell. What type of candy could smell so sweet?

The students, bearing smiles, realize that the tempting aroma does not match that of any conventional candy. They venture out and reach their destination: the office of Christian Bielizna, new Dean of Student Life in the Upper School.

“As a kid I didn’t really like sweets,” Bielizna said. “I developed an appreciation of chocolate as I got older as a way to have the door open, so to speak, in my various administrative roles I’ve had at other schools. I think it’s a great way to have those moments of contact with people.” Bielizna says his ability with names isn’t one of his strongest and so encourages students to introduce themselves prior to consuming his sweets.

“I have never done the ‘Candy Through the Decades’ idea,” he said. “I just kind of thought of it.” Thus far, Bielizna has supplied his regular candy consumers with candies that originated in different decades: buttermints, a hard, crunchy candy with a marshmallow aftertaste from the 1920s; saltwater taffies, a classic, soft candy from the pre-1920s; circus peanuts, a marshmallow sweet in the shape of a peanut from pre-1920s; BB Bats, old-fashioned taffy pops from the pre-1920s; and most recently, Candy Buttons and Sugar Daddys from the 1930s. The salt water taffies emptied out the fastest, according to Bielizna, and thus far, the buttermints, the first candy that he supplied. have been the first jar to empty.

Bielizna has worked at numerous schools, including Bard College, where he served as the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach.  In addition, he played soccer and basketball at the Division III level at Bard, where he developed his appreciation for students’ athletics, the primary reason for his attendance at Parker studenT athletic events.

Bielizna’s involvement in student affairs expands beyond candy. In addition to serving as the Dean of Students, Bielizna serves as a faculty sponsor for Student Government. “It’s a group of people to attach to in a meaningful way,” Bielizna said. “I don’t have a class I teach, so it’s a way to work with a core of individuals. I have experience in that realm.”

At Parker he has become impressed with the complexity of the school’s student government system. “It’s a really, pretty complex mechanism…there’s small groups, committees, and a lot of different positions students can engage in,” he said, “and that was really appealing to me.”

One of Bielizna’s accomplishments thus far is Club Fair. Alongside freshmen Anna Amacher, Bielizna initiated this new Parker tradition. “It was encouraging people to take a shot,” he said. “Sign up for something new or connect with people around something you already like a lot.”

Overall, he believes that Club Fair was a success. “It went really well because students stepped up and created signs,” he said. “It had a good energy to it.” He still acknowledges the students’ concern about the location of Club Fair. “The hallway: maybe a little bit too cramped.” Bielizna said. “We can look at that for next time.”

Overall Bielizna hopes to make a positive impact on the complex lives of the students about whom he devotes time to assist. So next time when you follow the sweet aroma to his office, be sure to introduce yourself.