White Oak High School opened and was accredited for the issuance of high school diplomas in August 1927. The first class graduated in the spring of 1928. . The original school was constructed off of present day Swansboro-Belgrade Road. The school was renamed "Tabernacle" at the end of the 1969-70 school year as the "new" White Oak High School was constructed off of Piney Green Road. Until the spring of 1970, the mascot for White Oak was the Red Devil and the colors were red and white. When the school moved to Piney Green Road, a rising class of students selected the Viking as the new mascot and green and gold as the new colors.
Yearbooks
From 1927 to 1950, the school was without an official annual or yearbook. During the 1950-51 school year, under the leadership of teacher Mrs. Clyde Morton Ward, the first yearbook was published. The first edition was called "The WOHIAN". The White Oak annual was named "The WOHian" from 1950 to 1956, the "Wee Toc" from 1957 to 1969 and the "Viking Log" from 1970 to the present day.
Principals
White Oak High School has had 17 principals since opening in 1927.. The Red Devil and Viking leaders are:
1928-193? A. H. Hatsell
193?-1939 L. B. Farnell
1939-1941 H. A. Melvin
1941-1942 E. N. Farnell
1942-1943 D. G. Shaw
1943-1945 O. C. Burton
1945-1947 B. F. Patrick
1947-1953 C. M. Ward
1953-1956 Howard E. Aman
1956-1968 Allen H. Stafford
1968-1970 Rudolph Whaley
1970-1988 Amos Stroud
1988-2007 Paul Wiggins
2007-2008 Megan Doyle
2008-2011 Debra Bryan
2011-2016 Jane Dennis
2016-present Christopher Barnes
Current motto
'We All Row!' White Oak High School utilizes a motto based on the image of the Viking ship. The image is prominently featured on the wall of the front hall of the school.
Athletics
The White Oak Vikings compete in the following sports: Volleyball, Cross Country, Track, Wrestling, Football, Basketball, Swimming, Golf, Tennis, Track, Softball & Baseball.
Testing summary
As of the most recent testing profile, White Oak High School is ranked 47th out of 2531 schools in NC in terms of the EVAAS growth index. This puts WOHS in the top 2% of schools as measured by academic growth.
