I'm not planning on proceeding with learning much more Perl, however, I would just like to see how this project can be accomplished for piece of mind.

Right... So I take it you can provide proof that the deadline for this assignment has passed? Did the instructor not provide you with a solution?

If you're going to try to get people to do your assignments for you, at least be honest about it. Monks here have been perfectly willing to explain how to solve homework problems - but generally only to people willing to learn.