Fifth-grader is town supervisor for a day

The Riverhead Free Library has been running the “Supervisor of the Day” program, in which a youngster who participated in its summer reading program gets to run the town for a day, for many years.

But this year’s winner, Kathryn Motlenski of Aquebogue, may have been the first to use the opportunity to get a new name for her street, Vineyard Way in Aquebogue.

Kathryn, a fifth-grader at Our Lady of Mercy Regional School in Aquebogue, used her new-found authority to put forth a resolution to give her street  a secondary name, “Dumbeldore’s Army Way.” Dumbeldore is a character in the Harry Potter books, and his army is a group of students who have banded together to fight evil.

In addition to chairing Tuesday’s Town Board meeting, Kathryn even received a new street sign, courtesy of Highway Superintendent George Woodson, for “Dumbeldore’s Army Way.”

Kathryn got to take the sign home with her to show it to her friends, but has to bring it back so the town can install it. The Vineyard Way sign will remain, and the Dumbeldore’s Army sign will be under it.

“Maybe you can encourage some of your friends and neighbors to join that reading program and get their street’s renamed,” Supervisor Sean Walter told Kathryn.