Learning, Earning, Giving Back: How One Club Transforms Investment into Impact

Throughout the academic year, Perkiomen offers various clubs that students have an opportunity to engage in. One of the newest and most engaging clubs that was established in the 2024-25 academic year is the Investment and Philanthropy Club. The club presents a unique opportunity for students to not only learn how to invest but apply their knowledge in actual market conditions.

The club manages a real $50,000 endowment fund, which was established through the generosity of Sally Sharkey and Board of Trustees member and alumnus Peter Sharkey Jr. ‘03.

“In looking to give back to Perkiomen and the community, we wanted to accomplish two things,” says Peter Sharkey, Jr. ’03, “education for the students and of course a monetary gift for the school’s future developments and improvements.”

Sharkey’s own experience at Perkiomen is what influenced their decision to make this generous donation. Mathematics Department Chair Pete Dougherty, who was his economics teacher, played an annual game of investing pretend money throughout the academic year.

“Each student was given $100,000 of fake money to invest in the market however they felt was best,” says Sharkey. “The idea was to see who could generate the largest return on investment over the course of that school year. I always thought, wouldn’t it be great if the kids or school had a program that utilized real monetary funds for a project like this.”

Fast forward to 2025, and Dougherty and his students now can do just what Sharkey imagined. 

Leadership in the club includes a president, vice president, and treasurer, who organize meetings and manage funds. After thorough research, club members pitch stock ideas, which is followed by group discussions and voting on which stock to purchase.

“Perkiomen School's Investment and Philanthropy Club focuses on a diversified portfolio spanning sectors such as technology, energy, and healthcare to balance risk and return,” says Club President Luke Stubblefield ‘25. “We emphasized research-driven decisions and regularly re-evaluated our holdings to reflect market trends.  The bylaws were created to keep everyone engaged and ensured clear guidelines for ethical investing, voting procedures, and philanthropic fund allocation. These structures promoted accountability and long-term sustainability in our investment approach.”

The club’s advisor, Dougherty, shares that the goal is to help students learn how to invest, but also to understand the value of giving back, as profits generated from investments are allocated to benefit the school.

“First, we invest in stocks. We learn about stocks, we make money,” says club Vice President Declan Nayak ‘25. “Once we finish investing our money and hopefully see growth, then we invest it back into the school.”

The money earned can be used by any department at the school that makes a request and is approved by a school committee.

Sharkey and Dougherty have confidence in the club members and the success that will follow their decisions. The students understand that being trusted to make these decisions on their own is a big responsibility, so they take it very seriously.

“Students have to convince everyone in the group that the stock they chose is good and explain why it is good,” says Dougherty, “They have to really look into the small details, because this is real money.”

“Usually, an additional meeting every week would become a chore, but I genuinely enjoy staying here, hanging out with people, and learning about investing, which I believe is incredibly valuable knowledge. It’s a great opportunity to learn about this now, so later in life, I will be able to apply my knowledge to my personal financial future.”  -- Rufus Ville '26, Club Treasurer

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