Ipswich schoolies both good and bad

One school in Ipswich produced both the best and the worst of end-of-year behaviour as 45,000 Queensland students finished Year 12.

While one group of students from St Edmund's College pedalled to the Gold Coast in the school's traditional charity ride, another chose a drunken rampage to end their time at school.

Thirteen students and three teachers from St Edmund's, a Christian Brothers College in Ipswich, rode their bikes from the school to Surfers Paradise on Friday to raise money for charity, before starting their Schoolies celebrations.

Student Matthew Walker said the group set out on their ride after their graduation mass at 10am (AEST) on Friday.

"It's a tradition that started 10 years ago and we raise around $10,000 a year for charity," he said.

"It will be shared between the Ipswich Hospice, the Australian Make a Wish Foundation and the work of the Christian Brothers in East Timor."

Teacher Ben Litchfield said the boys had been preparing for the ride for months.

"With one exception, you wouldn't regard any of them as being cyclists or athletes," he said. "It's something they've picked up from about Term Two."

"They trained once or twice a week with me mostly, just learning how to use the gears, ride in a group and get their fitness up."

But another group of St Edmund's students finished their Year 12 in the company of police after a drunken rampage on their way to their last day of school.

Walking to school on Friday, and reportedly drunk, the students caused $1,000 damage to lights outside a local motel.

Three were arrested by police and another 17 had to front their school principal.

The students were banned from the school's graduation ceremony on Friday morning and are grounded, meaning they are banned from attending Schoolies celebrations on the Gold Coast.