The Order of the Arrow represents a group of honor Scouts. Boys cannot "join" the Order of the Arrow - they must meet certain camping requirements and be duly elected by their fellow Scouts. Boys elected into the OA are judged by their peers to be those representing the highest ideals of Boy Scouting. Troop 61 conducts an OA election each year. The Order of the Arrow represents a whole new avenue of Scouting entirely independent of the troop.