Sometimes shining the light on a problem is the first step to solving it.

A couple of recent incidents of racially themed vandalism aimed at Lawrence High School and Free State High School were troubling to many people in Lawrence, but they could have a positive impact if they can spur what appears to be a much-needed dialogue about the images of and relationship between the city’s two public high schools.

About 50 students, parents and school district employees got that ball rolling earlier this week with a student-led talk called “One Community.” The group talked about such tough topics as race relations and social stereotypes at the high schools.

Not all of what they said was easy to hear. Although students said many inter-school friendships exist, the rivalries associated with LHS-Free State athletic events tend to raise tensions between students at the two schools. Social media, they said, serves as a venue for trash-talking that can lapse into personal attacks or racial slurs.

Students from both schools also expressed a disturbing consensus about the stereotypes attached to their schools. LHS, they said, has the reputation of being a run-down building with a student body that is more disadvantaged and prone to misbehavior; Free State is the new school populated mostly by “preppy rich kids.”

This kind of divide was exactly what the Lawrence district was trying to avoid when it built its second high school. Setting 15th street as the district dividing line was designed to bring better socio-economic balance between the schools. Free State obviously is a newer school, but district taxpayers have spent millions of dollars trying to equalize both facilities and opportunities at the two schools. Nonetheless, LHS continues to have a higher number of students who receive free and reduced-price lunches and usually scores behind Free State on various standardized tests. That doesn’t mean LHS is an inferior school, but it tends to feed certain stereotypes.

Those stereotypes are hard to fight, but some good suggestions came out of Tuesday’s meeting. Having more official school functions for students of both high schools might encourage more understanding, they said. Talking to students in middle and elementary schools about racial issues and being realistic about the differences between the two schools also could be beneficial, they said.

This week’s event was organized by the “Can We Talk” programs that give students at both high schools an opportunity to discuss various societal issues on a regular basis. The collaborative effort provides a positive example of how students in the two schools can work together toward better understanding.

It would be a mistake to look at the negative feelings and stereotypes attached to LHS and Free State as insignificant. This is a real problem that affects far more than just high school students and their teachers and families. We are, as the event’s title said, “One Community” and we need to work together to address these issues.