"Sylvia" (center) with host parents Ryan and Sandi Brannan.

Qianyu Huang, or Syliva as she’s known to her host family, is a 17-year-old foreign exchange student from China living with a north Macclenny couple and their two poodles.

Sylvia started attending Baker County High School shortly after arriving in the country last August. She enjoys her history, art, culinary and agriculture classes and takes calculus online at home because it’s not offered at BCHS.

“[School here] is different,” Sylvia said during a recent interview with The Press. “I pick my schedule. In Chinese school, the schools pick the schedule for you. You have subjects you must learn, so it’s different.”

And the differences don’t end there.

A customer peruses the discounted titles at Aardvark Video in Macclenny, which is liquidating its inventory ahead of closing its doors later this month.

After nearly three decades in business, Aardvark Video in Macclenny is calling it quits later this month. And it’s not because of Netflix, Redbox or other competitors.

Shirley Smallwood, who’s owned the business with her husband Zac since 1984, blames computers and other technology advancements.

She said today’s youth have become so accustomed to using the Internet to access movies and other videos, retailers like her cannot stay afloat. After losing the kids, their parents’ money soon follows.

“Plus people are just impatient,” Mrs. Smallwood said.