the current library. Education The Parma Union School District served the village and surrounding rural areas until 1957, when it consolidated with other school districts to form the Western School District. High school students from Parma therefore currently attend Western High School, which Parma shares with nearby Spring Arbor and the western edge of Jackson. The high school, along with the junior high and district administration, are located east of the village of Parma. One of the district's three elementaries, Parma Elementary School, is located on the south side of the village, near the site of the demolished Parma High School. The other two elementary schools are in the Spring Arbor area. When Parma Elementary was first built (in 1952), the Kindergarten class met in the Masonic Temple in Parma until the school was ready to open. The school opened mid year so the Kindergarten class of 1952 also attended the first half of First Grade in the Masonic Temple. Spring Arbor University is located about away, while Albion College is distant. Parma is also served by Jackson College. Industry and commerce Parma is historically and traditionally an agricultural community, and most of the surrounding area remains used for that purpose. During the last 20 years, the farming atmosphere has been eroded by hints of urban sprawl from the Jackson area, as well as a general decline in the viability of family farming. There are a handful of small manufacturing concerns in the area, located mostly along the Michigan Avenue corridor. The community scored quite a coup In the early 1990s, Michigan Automotive Compressors, Inc., an auto parts plant run by a Japanese company, was constructed here. Notable people Robert E. Horton, ecologist and soil scientist Brian Tyler, NASCAR driver The Zantop Family, owners of Zantop Air Transport and Zantop International Airlines Jason Peek (Founding Singer-Songwriter-Guitarist) of music group KUNG FU DIESEL References External links Villages in Jackson County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Populated places established in 1847 1847 establishments in Michigan