History of Gapla/Lesson 1

History of Gapla
	Lesson 1	Lesson 2 →

Warning:

While Wyatt Baek is recognized as the founder of modern Gapla, Ian Shin was the dominant figure in Gapla-Phoenix, serving as its first President.

Gaplan Prehistory (2015–2018)

1.1 The Establishment of Gapla-Phoenix

United Republics of Gapla and Phoenix On 24 August 2015, two first graders at Cypress Village Elementary School, Wyatt Baek and Ian Shin, founded the first known predecessor of the Federated States of Gapla, the United Republics of Gapla and Phoenix (commonly known as Gapla-Phoenix). Gapla-Phoenix was established in "Room 0"—an oddly numbered classroom—and was declared an "imaginary country," as the Wyatt and Ian were unaware of micronationalism. At the time of Gapla-Phoenix's establishment, Wyatt and Ian were good friends, and the country was split into the Republic of Gapla, Wyatt's province, the etymology of which is unknown, and the Republic of Phoenix, Ian's province, deriving its name from the mythical bird of the same name.

The First Territories Gapla-Phoenix’s claimed territory combined the imaginary and the personal: three fictional islands, a Secret Base on the school grounds (see Section 1.2 below), and the birthplaces of its two founders. A map of these territories created by Wyatt and Ian, known as the "Founding Map," is lost to history as it was likely in Ian's possession.

A Serious Project Despite the clearly fictional nature of Gapla-Phoenix and the young age of its founders, Wyatt and Ian took their project very seriously, and did not treat the project as simply a game of “make-believe," where actions did not have real-world consequences. They called Gapla-Phoenix an imaginary country as they recognized that it had fictional elements and were unaware of micronationalism or the micronational community, not because they lacked seriousness. Gapla-Phoenix was more advanced than any game of “make-believe," and conflicts within Gapla-Phoenix would lead to real-world consequences for its members and its competitors. What began as a childhood project was taken seriously by its members and, in retrospect, represents the first serious predecessor to the modern Federated States of Gapla, now a thriving new country project by the Danube.

1.2 The Secret Base, Institutions, and Identity

The Secret Base The Secret Base was a small, unsupervised corner of Cypress Village Elementary School, and was the central physical location of Gapla-Phoenix. It was an area with large stone walls and scattered electrical equipment (used as tables), remote and private enough that most students and many staff did not notice it. This was ideal because it meant that Gapla-Phoenix could operate with minimal supervision. Within the Secret Base, Gapla-Phoenix held daily meetings, stored documents, planned activities, and manufactured official documents, such as I.D. cards, currency, maps, and laws, although some manufacturing occurred at home.

I.D. Cards and Currency The founders of Gapla-Phoenix designed and circulated I.D. cards crafted from paper, sharpie, tape, and markers, and even created a form of currency, the Gapla-Phoenix Coin. The I.D. card became a symbol of Gapla-Phoenixian identity, membership, and status: those who carried I.D. cards were recognized as compatriots, and those without them remained outsiders.

Hierarchy and Loyalty Gapla-Phoenix developed a complex system of hierarchy and loyalty. It rewarded loyalty through highly coveted prestigious tiers of membership, earned through loyalty to its founders. Gapla-Phoenix’s I.D. cards prominently conveyed status within Gapla-Phoenix by listing the tier of membership the citizen belonged to—citizens in higher tiers often carried highly decorated, shiny I.D. cards created from metallic Sharpie markers and drawings of mythical creatures. Finally, citizenship in Gapla-Phoenix was selective and prized. It required demonstrated loyalty to the country’s leadership and to its wider community. Those who succeeded gained status and the opportunity to participate in daily governance, those who did not were excluded.

1.3 Competition from Iceeca

The Iceecan Union The beginning of the 2016–17 school year saw the rise of the Iceecan Union, a neighboring imaginary country similar to Gapla-Phoenix. Founded by Lucien Song and based near the boys’ bathrooms near the Secret Base, the Iceecan Union (commonly called Iceeca) became Gapla-Phoenix’s principal competition within Cypress Village Elementary School.

Gapla-Phoenix and Iceeca Although its founders would have vehemently denied it at the time, Gapla-Phoenix and Iceeca shared strikingly similar characteristics—similar to Gapla-Phoenix, Iceeca prized secrecy and strict citizenship requirements, and both countries maintained admission processes that were exclusive and that rewarded loyalty to their leaders.

From Competition to Conflict Although Wyatt and Lucien considered themselves enemies prior to the establishment of Gapla-Phoenix and the Iceecan Union, relations between the two countries rapidly deteriorated, quickly turning into organized competition and sabotage. Records (such as those shown below) suggest that Gapla-Phoenixian spies, led by Wyatt, attempted to spy on and even infiltrate the Iceecan Union from within. The rivalry between these early micronations introduced the first international conflicts in what would become Gaplan history, establishing a precedent for diplomacy and conflict resolution in the new country.

1.4 Conflicts and Failed Reconciliation

Internal Conflicts During the 2016–17 school year, relations between Wyatt and Ian soured when the two leaders disagreed on how to organize the country. Ian advocated for a more centralized state, with strict top-down authority from the President's office. In contrast, Wyatt advocated for a more decentralized state, maintaining a hierarchy while devolving power to lower-level authority. Ian saw Wyatt's advocacy of a more decentralized state as a challenge to his authority, while Wyatt viewed Ian's advocacy of a more centralized state as a move designed to attempt to turn Gapla-Phoenix into his cult of personality. These internal conflicts led to the fractionalization of Gapla-Phoenixian politics, as citizens increasingly became aligned with either Wyatt (Gapla) or Ian (Phoenix). Ultimately, the Territory of Border Zone—inspired by the Korean demilitarized zone—was created between Gapla and Phoenix.

Devolution As Wyatt played an increasingly active role in the governance of Gapla-Phoenix and challenged Ian's authority, he introduced devolutionary policies that sought to create territories and localized governance in Gapla-Phoenix. While several applications were submitted, only 2 applications were accepted due to Ian's skepticism of devolution and his influence within Gapla-Phoenix's government—Freedom Island (governed by Hankyul Yang) and Jamestown (governed by James Wang).

External Conflicts While internal conflicts were plaguing Gapla-Phoenix, external conflict with Iceeca further destabilized the country after the Iceecas declared war on Gapla-Phoenix in 2017. The Iceecas—with wealthy, highly involved parents in the PTA—were able to easily win the favor of the school administration, causing Gapla-Phoenixian citizens to be punished for vandalism that the Iceecas committed, enduring mocking by school authorities, and stealing roles won by Gapla-Phoenixians in a school musical. Notably, the markers used by Iceecans to commit vandalism were "returned" to Gapla-Phoenixians.

Ian's Betrayal Ian, wary at being punished for Iceecan actions and developing personal conflicts with Wyatt, defected to the Iceecas in late 2017. Although he had been the primary leader of Gapla-Phoenix up until this point, most Gapla-Phoenixians remained in Gapla-Phoenix, and Wyatt appointed Mirabelle Wang as leader of Phoenix in late 2017. However, Ian retained control over the Secret Base due to his recruitment of several students as bodyguards and enlisting Lucien to win the favor of the supervisors.

Attempted Reconciliation In contrast, Lucien and Wyatt attempted reconciliation talks at the Cypress Village Elementary School playgrounds, which had to be held in secret due to their parents seeing the other child as dangerous. The talks were ultimately unsuccessful and conflict between the two countries continued, although in a significantly less violent manner.

1.5 Dissolution of Gapla-Phoenix

Inactivity Preoccupied by other activities, both Gapla-Phoenix and the Iceecan Union became inactive sometime between late 2017 and early 2018. However, their leaders retained their former personal animosities from the conflicts. While this is often referred to as the "dissolution of Gapla-Phoenix," Gapla-Phoenix was never formally dissolved until 2019.

The APAAS Program In 2018, Wyatt Baek and Mirabelle Wang would leave Cypress Village Elementary School, having both been admitted to the prestigious Alternative Program for Academically Advanced Students (APAAS) within the district. However, despite their efforts otherwise, they were admitted to different campuses: Wyatt to Deerfield and Mirabelle to Santiago Hills.

People of Lesson 1

Photo courtesy of Ken Baek. A group photo of Ms. Jennifer Auproux's 2015–16 first grade class (Room 0).

Gallery for Lesson 1

1/7: The flag of Gapla-Phoenix.
2/7: The exterior of a Gapla-Phoenixian spy notebook owned by Wyatt Baek.
3/7: The interior of a Gapla-Phoenixian spy notebook owned by Wyatt Baek.
4/7: The front cover of "Vacation to Mars," a school musical.
5/7: The performance of "Vacation to Mars."
6/7: A view of Cypress Village Elementary School.
7/7: A view of Cypress Village Elementary School's playground, where negotiations occurred.

Credits for Lesson 1

This lesson was authored by Wyatt Baek.